The Babysitter Affair
by Tru Mel Meiko Mei Ling
Summary: Modern set. Years have passed and Rouge and Knuckles are now married with children. Yet there are troubled waters between the two and after Knuckles was accused of cheating on Rouge, their marriage has been in a downward spiral. But...
1. Liar, Liar?

_**A/N- 4 years have passed. The ages are as follows:**_

_**Rouge- 22 (she was 18, 4 years ago instead of 17.)**_

_**Knuckles-20 ½**_

_**Sonic-19**_

_**Amy-16**_

_**A/N- This story is actually an experiment with a deep and serious Knux/Rouge relationship. I had this thing sittin' on the laptop for 3 1/2 months before it conked out on me, and this story was recently salvaged from the laptop's hard drive on another portable computer.**_

_**A/N-I always wanted to use the title**_

_**Disclaimer: Sega/ Sonic Team owns all characters related to Sonic. Not me!**_

OoO

The Babysitter Affair

OoO

On another warm and slow day, Rouge the Bat, now a mother of two active children, sat comfortably in her favorite patio chair sipping iced tea. It had been two months since she had been a stay-at-home-mom, and even that hadn't been long enough for her to get used to it. She was tied down with two athletic and competitive boys, fraternal twins, both at the age of two and a half. She sighed and took another sip of her beverage. Even though her children were much older than the few months she had been caring for them, she had paid a plethora of babysitters to watch them for halved years at a time.

Before she or her husband, Knuckles, had a real job, they would go out treasure hunting and excavate bounty to pawn off for money to pay bills with. It took them around six months to scrounge for items of high enough value to pawn. So after the children came, Knuckles would go out looking for a job, while Rouge went to various places looking for good spots to dig. It had only been two months that he had gotten and kept a job, so paying bills and caring for the children was a lot smoother. Even though Rouge was happy with her little busybodies, who looked exactly like their father, her mind would still drift to the memories of the days she and Knuckles spent together looking for treasure and frolicking under the sun.

She smiled. Those were the days. There were times when she wanted to leave the house to her husband and go off on an adventure of her own, like she used to before she met Knuckles.

There needed to be some sort of miracle, for something like that to happen, but it all paid off in the end.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Quickly rising from her chair, Rouge adjusted her hair and tightened her robe, then began making her way to the door. The doorbell had rung several more times before she got there. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called, slightly becoming annoyed. Out of the two children she had not one of them bothered to answer the door. "Hmm…they take after their father" she whispered, standing on her tippy-toes to look out of the peep-hole. "…And speaking of whom…" She opened the door, and only allowed it to be ajar enough for her head to stick out. "You're back early."

With a chuckle, Knuckles smirked at her. "How perceptive. So, are you going to let me in, or do I have to find another way?"

Warily, Rouge stared at her husband. He hardly ever used the front door. Because of the outdoor patio, he usually flew right to it and made his way into the house through the sun-room. "It doesn't matter…You hardly use the door anyway. So what's different this time?"

He grinned slyly with a glint in his eyes. "Let me in and I'll show you."

Rouge amusingly raised an eyebrow. "Ohhh, I know that tone."

"Oh really?"

"Yes…it means a lot of fun for you and more babies for me…" she replied sarcastically, opening the door for him and letting him in.

As soon as he stepped foot in the door, he cupped his wife's cheek and kissed her quickly on the lips. "I'm sure that can be arranged…."

With a mock smile, Rouge pressed herself against her husband and groped a place that made him wince. In a thick, erotic voice, she purred: "I need to get you neutered"

Knuckles nearly choked on his words. "You'll do WHAT!"

"Shhh! You'll wake the children!" she playfully lied, in an attempt to change the subject.

With a forced grin, he gave his wife a rather scowling look. Rouge deliberately ignored it and began walking towards the living room.

"So…what have you got this time?"

Becoming both annoyed by his wife's sarcastic behavior and aroused by her "come-and-get-me" attitude, he eagerly followed close behind her. "Just something for the kids."

"Oh really?" she asked, slightly turning to him in such a way that showed off her curves at a rather suggestive angle. "What did you get them?"

"Oh…" he started, steadily moving closer to her with a look of yearning glistening in his eyes "Just a few toys."

"Mhm" she cooed, tugging on the belt of her robe while draping an arm around his neck. "And what do you have for me?"

With a throaty chuckle, Knuckles eagerly pulled her close into his arms and pressed his hips against her.

"Ooh.." Rouge murmured, glancing down at her husband "…I see.."

"Mmmhmmm" he replied with a deeply erotic tone to his voice. "I've had a long day…How about you?"

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter. You're here to sweep me off my feet. You just can't get enough of me"

With a toothy grin, he chuckled. "You said you always wanted a daughter…"

"I did?"

"I heard you mumble it in your sleep"

"And when was this?"

Knuckles grinned at her and touched his nose to hers. "Doesn't matter…" he replied with such powerful sensuality, Rouge found herself feeling a bit weak in the knees.

This was new! Even after the day they got married, Knuckles was never so romantically straightforward. Of course, that was something she wouldn't be complaining about, but, she could tell that he was trying exceptionally well to hide something.

Figuring he'd tell her after he got his needs met with her, Rouge set aside the thought and tauntingly kissed him. Knuckles, who became impatient with her game of playing hard to get, presented her moist lips with a hungry kiss of his own and gently pressed her against a wall. Feeling himself grow hotter with anticipation, he gently took hold of Rouge's leg and slipped his hand up the length of her thigh. A small chuckle escaped her from the way his glove tickled her fur. But her laughter soon changed into a low moan as Knuckles' mouth left hers and went to suckle on her neck instead.

'That's more like it…' he thought.

Getting his message, Rouge draped her arms around his neck and lifted a thigh to his waist. With a lick of her lush crimson lips, she moaned and bucked her hips. "Take me already."

Briefly, he left her neck, licking his lips, and lifted his wild and hungry eyes to hers. "You don't need to tell me twice."

"Glad to hear it." Rouge replied, already lacing a bare leg around him. "I don't know about you, but staying pinned to this wall while you perform foreplay doesn't exactly tickle my fancy."

Knuckles smirked and rubbed her other thigh. "Then we'd better get you someplace more comfortable…"

With a sound of amusement, Rouge gracefully wrapped both her legs tightly around Knuckles' waist, as he supported her weight and led them to their room.

An hour after their explosive lovemaking, Rouge sighed and snuggled upto Knuckles' heaving chest. "Mmm.." she moaned lightly, tracing her fingertips over the white ring across his chest "You really know how to rock a gem-lovers world…"

With a tired smirk, Knuckles encircled an arm around her and touched his nose with hers. "My name isn't Knuckles for nothing…"

With a laugh, Rouge gave him a small push. "You idiot. That was so corny."

"You think so?"

"I do."

"Heh…Well it came from your mouth first!"

"And so what if it did? There's nothing you can do about it."

"Oh yeah?" Knuckles grinned and began tickling her in that tricky spot on her ribs. "Then what do you say to this, huh?"

Unable to control herself, Rouge squirmed and writhed under his embracing assault and tried to speak coherent words in-between her laughter. "Kn-Knuckles stop it! Stop it right now! You—you know what that spot does to…" she trailed off as her voice melded into a sultry moan.

Seeing his attempt successful, Knuckles chuckled and climbed on top of her. Holding both her arms down, he stared intently at her and leaned closer with a dark smile on his lips. "What're you gonna do now?"

Amused he had her pinned, thinking that he'd accomplished something, Rouge looked up at him with a sly expression playing across her features. "Oh…you think you have me, do you…?"

Knuckles grinned mischievously and tauntingly brushed her lips with his. " I believe I do, Bat-Girl."

Without saying a word, Rouge lashed her tongue at his lips, then claimed him again for a second taste. Before Knuckles could retaliate, Rouge's decadent lips had already covered his and her uncontainable tongue thrashed about wildly in his mouth, capturing his own.

Becoming drawn in by her game, Knuckles released his grip from her arms and cupped her face as he deepened their kiss. The moment her hands were free, Rouge laced them around his neck and pulled him closer. Knuckles soon became distracted by her heated invitation and hardly noticed her legs wrapping around him. "You're mine now…" she whispered breathlessly against his lips.

"Oh…?" Knuckles responded just as breathless, and gently rubbed one of his protruding knuckles against the soft flesh of her ribs.

With a shiver, a moan escaped her mouth as her hands were placed on the top of his head, then pushed him downwards.

"I can't take it anymore…" she moaned, lifting her legs to his head and squeezing lightly. "You know what I want.."

Not saying a word, Knuckles brushed his lips against the petals of her moist flesh to tease her, then pressed his mouth to it and set loose his tongue to raid her heated depths.

Rouge responded with a low moan as her body arched and squirmed without her knowing. "Mmm baby…"

Indulged in his feast, Knuckles gave no verbal reply, but chuckled and slid his hands up her thighs. Feeling her body shiver as she cooed in pleasure, he parted her petals with his fingers and hungrily lashed his weapon about inside her. Each moan and cry that escaped from her mouth fueled his ambition to increase his wild taunting, and he eagerly savored the hot and thick reward he got in return.

His voice reverberating with a husky moan, he paused and lifted his face to her. Allowing a few more pants of ecstasy to pass, Rouge looked down to him in question, but felt her face grow hot as what her eyes beheld. With a smug grin on his face, Knuckles chuckled a bit and licked his lips, only able to savor a small taste of her as the rest of his face was dripping with her honey. Seeing his woman at a loss for words, Knuckles chuckled and rubbed his taunting fingers against her thermal entrance. "What's the matter…?" he quipped, slowly sliding his fingers in, then out at a moderate pace "You couldn't have had enough already…"

Knowing that he was toying with her, Rouge squirmed under his probing and tried to focus her dazed eyes on his. "You stopped, first…"

"No…you did." he said, licking his lips again "You came as if though we were done…" With another chuckle, he slid another finger deeply inside of her, causing her to arch her back and cry out.

"…But…we're far from being done… Unless I was too much for you to handle before…" he grinned, then vibrated his fingers within her beckoning walls. " 'Ohhh, baby, that's it! Give it to me harder! Make me want it! Make me crave it!' " Knuckles mocked, heightening his voice to imitate her.

Irritated, Rouge tried to glare at him, but the pleasure she was receiving canceled just about everything else she felt out. "You…idiot…!" she managed to pant, sitting up to grab one of his dreadlocks. "You've got a lot of nerve mocking me like that!"

"Oh yeah? And just what can you do? Nothing but take and enjoy the intense amount of pleasure your man is giving you. Unless you want me to stop?"

With a playful half-frown, Rouge grabbed Knuckles by the head and pushed him down between her legs again and clamped them around him. "Quit yapping and start lapping, already!"

"Yes ma'am!" he replied with muffled words.

Laughing to herself, Rouge felt her body quiver as she got what she wanted. Whispering his name, she led a hand to his head and ran it through his dreadlocks. Clenching a group of them with a fist, she began to slide her other hand through them, when something ruffled and lacy brushed her hand.

"Knuckles stop…"

The echidna paused at her command, and half-heartedly looked up at her with his lips brushing against her warmth. "…What is it, now?"

Fighting back a faint moan, Rouge tugged at the lacy object in his dreads while trying to keep a straight face. "…What is this…?" she muttered, hardly audible.

"What? I can barely hear you." Knuckles responded, lifting his face and licking his lips. "Speak up…I thought you wanted me so bad…"

With an annoyed groan, Rouge clenched the embroidered item in his dreads and yanked it off.

. "Owww…! What did you do that for…!" he groused, rubbing his head. "You could have told me you were done, Rouge! What's the matter with you?"

"Knuckles, what is this!" Rouge demanded, holding up the decorative pink band for them both to clearly see. It was a shade lighter than his natural red color, so it could be blended in his dreads without much notice. Her eyes narrowed when she realized how easily it could have been kept from view. "Well?"

Knuckles had only glanced at it at first, focusing more of his attention on the pain in his head. "What about it?"

Rouge glared at him. Why was he being so nonchalant about it?

"Idiot!" she yelled, hitting him upside the back of his head "Don't try to play your 'selective amnesia' games with me! Now tell me, where did this band come from…!"

Knuckles was about to retaliate when he finally gave the band a good look. "What is that doing…" he trailed off in a whisper. Nervously glancing upto Rouge, he took the band from her then tried to change the uncomfortable situation around. "Oh…it's just a good luck charm…"

Rouge raised a skeptical eyebrow. "…A good luck charm…"

"Yeah." Knuckles lied, curling his fingers around it "It's supposed to insure that we have a daughter. Just like you always wanted."

Rouge wordlessly gazed into his suspecting eyes as her anger towards him gradually subsided. Part of her wanted to believe him, but something was still amiss.

"Oh really. As sweet as that sounds, Knuckles, what was it doing in your hair?" Her eyes then lowered, as did her voice. " If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to hide it from me…"

Knuckles opened his mouth to answer, then quickly shut it, as he inwardly asked himself the same question. Then an answer hit him. 'She must have put it there when she hugged me...' His eyes narrowed as his thoughts continued and he averted his gaze from Rouge 'That girl…'

Watching her husband take too much time before giving her an answer, Rouge pushed him off of her and got out of the bed. Before Knuckles could realize what was happening, Rouge had already halfway finished dressing herself.

"Rouge, what are you-"

"Get out."

"What!" Knuckles retaliated, standing to his feet and grabbing Rouge by the arm. "Listen to me, I wasn't hiding it from you!"

Rouge gave him a fake laugh. "You're lying to me!" she chirped in a forced singsong tone and pulled herself out of from his grip. "I still want you out of here." She added, leaving the room and storming down the hallway.

"Rouge, wait!" Knuckles called, running after her.

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Just wait…" he repeated, stepping in front of her. "Just…hear me out, ok?"

Angry, and almost heartbroken this was happening to her, Rouge looked away from him for a moment, and crossed her arms. "…Knuckles…" Rouge stated lowly, trying to fight back a sudden sting of tears behind her eyes. "Tell me and tell me the truth. Are you having an affair?"

Almost hurt by her words, Knuckles sighed heavily and looked away from her. "Rouge…"

"Are you seeing someone else!"

He paused before answering. "No…"

"Are you?"

"No! I'm not seeing anyone else, Rouge!" he shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. His wild eyes searched hers for an understanding.

"…You're lying!" she yelled, trying to push him away.

Knuckles growled while trying to hold her steady. "Why won't you believe me!"

"Let me go!"

"Not until you tell me!"

"I said let me go!" Rouge vociferated, kicking him squarely between the legs.

With a muffled cry, Knuckles bit his lip and sunk to the floor.

Half-smiling, Rouge nudged him with her foot and leaned down. "You wanna know why I know you're lying? Because no man of mine would be proud to wear something pink and frilly in his hair. And especially not in places where his beloved wife, which would be me, wouldn't find it!"

Knuckles frowned and tried to speak, but, a wheeze was all he could muster. At that point, he considered Rouge to be miraculously lucky that all he could do in retaliation was attack her with a slew mental curses.

Watching him writhe on the floor near the steps, Rouge felt her lips curl downwards. The thought of kicking him down those stairs crossed her mind.

"…Our marriage was already on the brink of going downhill, and you just gave it one more good push…"

A distant chuckle rose from Knuckles as he finally managed to look up at her.

"Oh I get it…" he murmured in a raspy tone "You think this is all my fault, huh? Calling me a liar. You want some truth, Rouge? Huh? Do you!" he spat, while forcefully pushing himself off the floor. "Well I'll give you some truth… I got fired from my job today."

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "You what…?"

"Yeah, that's right. I got fired. And you wanna know why? Because those scruff-necks above me couldn't give me the decent raise I deserved. Instead, my earnings were always given to those under me. I wasn't going to just stand there and let my life be run by some pencil-pushing job that doesn't suit me! I got tired of it, Rouge!"

Trying to take his words in, Rouge shook her head. "…I don't believe you! This has been going on for only months now! Why can't you just keep a fairly decent job for once? 6 months isn't going to cut it, especially when you're living in a house that you never paid for and have to leech off of my savings over the years; pay the bills and support two children with a proclaimed other on the way; and let's see what else? Oh yeah, continue to support your wife who seems to be taking a back seat to another woman!"

"That's ENOUGH!" Knuckles roared. Disgusted, he clenched a fist and glared at her, his eyes wild and offended. "See, that's why I didn't want to tell you! You were going to jump to conclusions and start pointing fingers! I'm doing all I can, Rouge! Maybe if YOU decided to get off your lazy butt and start looking for work, this may never have happened!"

"Stop it, Knuckles!" she hissed, and angrily slapped him across the face. "The nerve of you throwing that garbage at me, you've lost your mind! And guess what? You didn't deny your other woman friend this time." She spoke in a steady acidic tone and smiled faintly.

Wordless and angered by her behavior, Knuckles growled and forced himself away from her. Had it been the 'old days' of when they first met, he would have punched her or kicked her without hesitation. But, since they married, he had changed a lot of his traits for his dear wife. Rubbing his cheek, he headed towards the front door. "I don't need to hear this, Rouge… I've already told you, but you won't listen!"

"Won't listen! You haven't explained anything about this fling of yours. So tell me, how long has this been going on? A month? Two months?" She shrugged." …A year, maybe?"

Knuckles sighed heavily and unlocked the door. "…Rouge…"

"Gee, I wonder when you were going to tell me this Knuckles. Maybe you wanted to surprise me. Or maybe you THOUGHT you could keep it from me. Or better yet, maybe you should have told me one of the many times you had my legs spread, and impaled me on that baseball bat of a seed shooter of yours! Yeah…" she nodded, sarcastically smiling with a thin film of tears building in her eyes. "…That would have been the perfect moment to tell me… The perfect time to tell me that my husband's greatest pride had gotten lost inside another woman…"

Feeling the impact of her words, Knuckles had to hold himself from breaking and leaned his head on the door in defeat. He didn't want things to get out of hand the way they did, but he knew that she was right. Even if he were seeing someone else, he would never sleep with them. But Rouge wouldn't accept that, and for once, he couldn't blame her.

"…Rouge, look…" he muttered, his voice wavering as he tried to look at her. The pain in her eyes met with his for a split second. Right before she turned her face away from him was the moment when her tears broke through their barrier and traveled down her cheeks.

"I don't want to hear it…" she whispered in a low and cracked voice. "…Just go…"

"Rouge… Rouge…!" Knuckles called after her, but she turned her back to him and ran back to the bedroom.

Watching her go, he groaned in disgust and leaned his back against the door. "…What have I done…?" he muttered, only for his ears to hear. "…I can't stay here…" Facing the door, he pulled out his cell phone and, with a shaky finger, quickly punched in a number.

The other line rang several times before the receiver picked up.

"Hey Knucklehead, what's up? You got my number on speed-dial or somethin'?"

Knuckles frowned at the joke. "…Sonic…listen to me for a second…"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"...If you're not doing anything, let me come over."

"What, now?"

"…I'm serious, Sonic."

"Sure, come on over. I'll help out in any way I can. Oh yeah, and Amy was asking about you."

Knuckles flinched at her name. "…Allright, I'm leaving…"

With that, he hung up and opened the door.

As soon as the door closed, Rouge sat up on the bed and briskly wiped her tears. "Knuckles…?" she called, then mentally kicked herself for doing so. "No, forget about him… He's gone…" After letting a few moments pass, Rouge pushed herself up from the bed and trudged out of the darkened room and down the hallway. She almost had to stable herself against the walls, she was so emotionally torn. "…I knew something like this would happen…" she muttered, struggling to pull herself along. "…I knew…he would lie to me…like that…I knew his ignorance would make me suffer…But I married him anyway…thinking he could change for the better, following my example…" Reaching the stairs, the paused and looked to the front door. A faint smile came to her lips as she forced herself to chuckle. "…This is what we get. …The joke is on us…for being stubborn." After a moment of laughter, she hung her head and sulked down to the top step, and slumped against a wall. "…But the joke's on me most of all…" she uttered, her lips trembling.

Warm tears stung the backs of her eyes and she effortlessly allowed them to be released.

Closing her eyes, she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. After a few moments of anguish, she lifted her face from the hiding place of her arms with a newfound emotion burning in her eyes. With a scoff, she stood to her feet and composed herself. "That's enough wasting time. …I need to get out of this house for a while."

With a deep sigh, Rouge pushed every trouble and indecency away, then walked down the steps to where the children's' rooms were. Cracking their door slightly ajar, she peeked around to see if they were still sleeping, but much to her surprise, they weren't even in bed. Concerned, she stepped into the room and looked around. It was almost pitch black, save for the slither of light spilling through the blinds. But her eyes were keen enough to cut through the darkness, and she walked further into the room.

"…Akai! Amethyst!" she called.

At the sound of her voice, the door of a closet in the room creaked open and out stumbled two smallish echidnas. One was the exact same color as Knuckles and had red eyes to match, while the other was a mix of pink and light purple with white streaks right above his plum-colored eyes. Staring at them, Rouge placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Why were you two hiding in the closet?"

"Well…" Amethyst began, looking at his brother who pointed a mitt at him.

"It was his idea!" Akai bluntly stated, poking him in the shoulder to get him to confess.

"Akai! Cut that out!" Amethyst cried, trying to push his brother's finger away when Rouge stepped between them and pulled them, aside. "Alright, that's enough! Now, one of you tell me what you were hiding for. Amethyst?"

The pinkish echidna tossed an unreadable look at his brother before answering. "Well, we were in bed, when he heard daddy's voice rumblin' through the house."

Rouge's breath got caught in her throat at her son's words, but she nodded to him to continue. "Go on…"

"And…well…then…"

"…Then we heard your voice and daddy's yellin'." Akai finished for his brother.

"Yeah" Amethyst nodded. "And we thought you two were gonna separate and get a dee… um…a diverse."

"Yeah, a diverse." Akai chimed in.

Hearing her two sons be so innocently truthful almost broke Rouge's heart and it took all she had to not cry in front of them. Trying to smile, she gave them both hugs. "No no, sweethearts. Your father and I are not getting a divorce."

She paused after saying those words.

"What's wrong, mommy?" Amethyst wondered, tapping Rouge on the arm.

"What? Oh…it's nothing." She lied, snapping out of her trance. "Listen, you two, why don't we go for a drive? Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yeah!" Amethyst cheered.

"Yeah. But only if we can go to a toy store and eat lots of candy too!"

Amethyst looked to his brother, then back to Rouge with a nod. "Yeah, a toy store!"

With a smug expression, Akai nudged his brother in the arm, causing him to jump.

"And candy too!" Amethyst added.

Watching those two behave so playfully got Rouge to really smile for the first time since her and Knuckles' argument. With a giggle, she hugged them again, then led them out the room and to the front door. "Sure. You two can have all the candy and toys you want. Mommy's treat."

"Yeah! Awight!" the twins cheered in unison.

Rouge gave them another broad smile before grabbing the keys to the SUV off the door and heading outside.

OoO

Well, I finally did it. This story almost didn't see the light of day since I've never really experimented with Knux and Rouge, and to then just jump into them being married with children like that… That was like a blind leap of faith. …Kinda like what's in the 3-d Sonic games today. Plenty of leaps of faith there, or else you lose a life from fallin' off a ledge you never thought or saw was there.

It's funny how I really just started to get more chapters in depth in my mind for this, and already, I have a sequel planned and laid out already.

Oh, and for the children's names, Akai means red in Japanese and Amethyst is…well…a synonym for purple.

Welp, things may get a lot deeper here on out… As long as it's quality work, there's almost no limit to what I put in here.

Oh yeah, and for those who wonder…Even though it's Rouge's house, the Master Emerald is in the backyard.

-Mel


	2. Stress?

A/N: -- Don't ask.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic characters! Except for Akai and Amethyst. Those two are my own 'original offspring' chars lol

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter two..**

Driving on the beltway, Knuckles had to constantly change the radio stations in order to calm his nerves and keep his focus.

Still, he couldn't keep his pressured thoughts at bay for too long, and growled when they engulfed him. He was lucky he came to a stoplight.

"Dammit…" he groused lowly. Shutting his eyes, he ran a shaky hand through his dreads and sighed. No matter how much he tried to gather his thoughts and control them, the constant remembrance of Rouge's harsh words replayed in his mind.

'_Knuckles, are you seeing someone else…?_

' …_You're lying!_

'…_Our marriage was already on the brink of going downhill, and you just gave it one more good push…'_

"Dammit, Rouge!" he yelled, pounding on the steering wheel with both his fists, then forced himself back in his seat. With a heavy sigh, he roughly rubbed his temples. "Why won't she believe me…?" he thought out-loud "Why can't she understand!"

His thoughts were instantly torn to pieces from the sound of a honking horn behind him. Caught off guard, Knuckles nearly jumped in his seat and quickly stuck his head out the window of his Acura. Looking to the car behind him with wild and threatening eyes, Knuckles stared straight at the driver and flipped him off. He then settled himself in the car, and continued driving.

"...This is NOT turning out to be a good day for me… " he growled, tightly gripping the steering wheel in disgust and turning right into an exit.

On the highway again, he traveled a little ways before getting back on the beltway.

"Finally…I'm halfway there." He murmured, immediately having to weave in front of three cars to cross over into the lane on the far left.

In a hurry to get to Sonic's place, Knuckles floored the gas and weaved between four more cars before crossing over into the furthest most lane again, and ended up tailgating the driver in front of him.

"Come on!" he yelled to the driver in front of him, honking his horn. "This is the fast lane, you idiot! Speed up!"

When the driver didn't respond, Knuckles muttered a curse, then tried to weave in front of him, and almost rammed into another car in his blind spot.

"Great…"he muttered, leaning back in the seat and running a hand through his hair.

"…Well…it could always be worse…" he sighed sarcastically with a fake smile. And as fate would have it, the car in front of him stopped suddenly, and caused him to slam on the breaks, and cracked the taillights on the car in front of him.

"Dammit!" he growled and stuck his head out the window. "What's the hold up!"

Then it hit him.

He found himself stuck in heavy traffic, backed up miles and miles in front of him.

In denial, he shook his head and got out of the car. "This can't be happening…" he mumbled. Dismayed, his eyes feverishly fleeted around to check his surroundings, and he saw that the exit to Sonic's place was a walking distance away.

"Finally…" he muttered, almost thankful---that is until he realized that he was in the furthest left lane, and couldn't make it over to the exit in time, because of the traffic.

With a loud curse, Knuckles opened the door to get back in the car when the sirens of a police car blared in front of him and got him to nearly trip over the door. Eyeing the car in front of him intently, Knuckles' breath got caught in his throat as his eyes followed the driver of the car until he stepped out in full uniform and flashed Knuckles his badge.

Feeling the building anger inside him nearly reach its boiling point, Knuckles narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "Someone in heaven sure loves playing games with me…"

"Okay kids, are you two ready?" Rouge asked, opening the sliding doors to the car.

Akai scoffed and rubbed his nose. "I'm not a kid!" he retaliated.

Amethyst looked his brother and nudged him. "Yes you are! Mommy always says so!"

"Then you are too!"

"Nuh-uh! Just you! You kid!"

"I'm not a kid! I'm 2 and uh half!"

"So? I'm two and uh half too!"

"Then you're a kid too!" Akai pressed, trying to push his brother.

"I am not!" Amethyst cried, pushing him back.

"Okay, boys, that's enough!" Rouge announced, snatching them by the wrists and tossing them into the back seats. "It's bad enough that you two look like your father…" she trailed off while buckling their seat belts. "…You don't have to act like him too…" she whispered to herself, then closed the sliding door.

With a sigh, Rouge leaned her back against the door and looked up to the sky.

Seeing the clouds float by so lush and free, Rouge narrowed her eyes. For a moment, and only for a moment, did she envy them. Her mind drifted back to her days of freedom, far before she met Knuckles and committed herself to him.

Before then, she followed her own heart and went by her own rules. She even told herself, convincingly, that she would never settle down. She couldn't even imagine seeing herself as a mother those few years ago. 'And now look at me…' she thought sadly and closed her eyes.

"…why did you do it, Knuckles…?" she uttered softly to the near-still wind. "I gave up my freedom for you…and the boys. I gave up my dreams…and this is how you repay me? By leaving me for another---" she trailed off as the memories of their earlier argument and her finding the band flashed through her mind and shook her head, as if doing so would send them away. 'I can't take this' she whispered to herself. Feeling a distinct chill jolt through her, she hesitantly folded her arms across her chest and hugged herself, shivering lightly.

The exact moment warm tears began to conceive in her eyes, two quick taps on the SUV's back window made her jump and quickly wipe her eyes.

"Mommy?" Amethyst's small voice called from the backseat.

"Are you all wight?" Akai added, wondering why their mother had her back to them outside the car.

Letting a brief sniffle pass, Rouge forced a maternal smile and turned to them in the car and waved reassuringly. "Yeah." She spoke, clearing her throat and lightly straightening her hair with her fingers. "Mommy's fine. " she replied and swiftly jogged around the vehicle to the driver's side and hopped in.

As the engine roared to life, Rouge sighed inwardly to herself and started to pull away from the curb. "Yep. Mommy is just fine you two. " she continued, mainly directing her words to herself more than her children.

The smallish echidnas curiously eyed their mother to find the truth in her words, but they found none.

A tad confused, Akai inched closer to his brother and motioned for him to come closer. "I think mommy's not feeling vewy well." Akai whispered to his brother, who nodded, but had a comment of his own. "Yeah, but I don't know. If mommy says so, it must be true. So I'm gonna believe her."

Akai wrinkled his nose at his brother and shook his head. "Just because mommy says it, doesn't mean that it's always gonna be true. Remembuh when she said there was a fishbowl in daddy's chair one time?"

Amethyst looked up in thought and giggled. "Yeah, but she was telling the truth.."

"It was only a picture of a fishbowl. She played a trick on us!"

"Yeah so? It was still a fishbowl!" Amethyst retaliated, nudging his brother.

"Ahh Don't hit me!" Akai shouted, nearly pushing his brother out his seatbelt.

"Stop it! I didn't hit you!" he cried, flailing his little arms in a futile attempt to keep his brother's hands away from him. "Moooooommmyyyy!"

"Mommy's not here right now" she exhaled. " In her place, this lovely bat with two very active and hyper children, is going to be taking over until mommy feels like dealing with you boys." She ranted in a half sarcastic and overly saccharine tone as she took off down the street.

Had writer's block several times for this. I had to go in one story with these characters and write about them, then go to another and fill them in a lot better and so on and so forth 

I have to get more into these guys again. Their personas keep changing with each next gen game. (Has anyone noticed how long Rouge's arms have gotten now? In Heroes they were pretty long and she kind of looked like Omega with them at her sides and in Shadow's game, her elbows nearly pass her knees. Its sickening to look at, so I picture her as her SA2 self with NORMAL arms. I may have to go back to SA2 to get a feel for all the chars again. But I'll give and present results!

See ya

-Mel


	3. Anticipation

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 3**

"And in other news, onto Station Square's Traffic Report. There's a bit of buildup in four different locations-"

"Man…Knuckles still hasn't gotten here yet." A soft voice sighed. Watching the traffic report on her miniature black and white TV that she hoped to sell today, Amy Rose frowned slightly. She had been waiting all morning to hear from Knuckles after calling his cell phone and leaving countless messages the other night.

It was already mid-day and she still hasn't heard from him. Sighing again, her weary eyes lingered on the traffic report until her mind began to wander. She wondered if Sonic knew about the times she'd been calling Knuckles night and day. But even if he did know, she doubted that he would get on her case about it. Anytime she'd bring Knuckles' name up a lot, Sonic would always give her this strange look…

She couldn't describe it.

That Sonic…

The truth was she had been living with Sonic for almost 2 and a half years now, but the reasons why were far from what she wished they could have been. The two of them never became a couple. Instead, Sonic decided to take her in and let her live at his place until she got financially back on her feet. She had lost her apartment due to the current job she worked at during the time, went out of business that same day. So, having no place else to go or turn to, Amy showed up at Sonic's doorstep and told him her story. And to her surprise, he agreed to let her stay—under one condition—that she respect both of their privacy and to not try anything while he was asleep. Meekly, yet dutifully, Amy agreed and the two shook on it.

For today, Sonic planned on helping her sell her things so she could raise enough money to get a new place after her job interview in a couple of days. Amy had to admit, she wouldn't have gotten far if not for him-or Knuckles for that matter.

Knuckles…

"Amy!" Sonic called from the bottom of the stairs "Hey Amy, ya still up there?"

"Yeah!" she called back "Hang on a sec, I'll be right down!" she added, turning off the small TV and carrying it out the room. Heading out into the hall, she held the handle with both hands and lugged all of its weight around on one side of her body. Turning into another hall, she passed the room that Shadow had been staying in. He hadn't lived there for very long and was in dire need for a place to stay. At least Amy and Sonic thought so since Shadow willingly took up the offer of living with Sonic. She padded down the steps with the TV lightly brushing against her legs. Soon, she rounded the stairway's corner and caught sight of Sonic standing not that far from her. He gave a friendly wave, greeting her with a "Good Afternoon" before taking the weight off the TV out of her hands.

Once they were free, they instinctively smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress then rested energetically at her sides.

"Good Afternoon, Sonic!" Amy beamed to her friend, who couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, it sure is. Did you sleep well?"

Amy didn't answer right away as her mind took her back to the night before. She had been on the phone late that night, talking with a certain echidna while he was out on one of his personal errands and discovered a rather unsettling situation.

_OoO_

_"Amy did you hear me?"_

_"Huh? The pink hedgehog asked on the other end of the receiver. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts, that she barely heard him at first. "No, sorry Knuckles…!" she smiled guiltily and smoothed a few stray locks of hair away from the side of her face. But of course, they came right back._

_"What did you say again?"_

_There was a pause, as if to indicate that Knuckles was amused by her not hearing him and took a breath to repeat himself. "I said what did you think of the boys?"_

_The boys?_

_"Oh! They were so cute Knuckles!" Amy laughed, falling back first onto the fluffy sheets in her bed. "They look just like you! Especially Akai!"_

_"Yeah" Knuckles replied with the sound of a broad smile in his voice. "They're my pride n joy!"_

_"They sure are!"_

_"Mmhmm… Boy don't you sound happy!"_

_Hearing this, Amy could feel a streak of warmth pass over her cheeks and spread over her whole face. Trying not to let it show in her voice she playfully laughed, but that only made it worse. She was sure that Knuckles caught on. But if he did, he didn't give off any hints of such._

_There were a few moments of silence, then Knuckles spoke again. "I know I didn't tell you this, but I wanted it to be a surprise._

_"Yeah what's that? She asked, her eyes widening in anticipation._

_"Rouge and I were talking, and it seems that we're going to have a second wedding and honeymoon."_

_The color from Amy's face almost completely drained. "ANOTHER one?"_

_"That's right! I know that Rouge probably feels that we rushed or got into marriage too soon and that we didn't really know each other that well…and then the boys came…you know. Things like that."_

_"Oh…" Amy barely whispered. "So…when is this all taking place?" she asked, trying to sound excited for her friend._

_"Well…we're both not to sure yet, but it's been up in the air a couple times, so that's good."_

_"Yeah…"_

_There was another uncomfortable pause._

_Then Knuckles' tone lowered. "You know…Amy…"_

_Holding the receiver closer to her ear from the almost distant tone his voice carried, Amy's eyes fleeted around the room aimlessly, as if doing so would tune her into what he had to say a lot better._

_He sighed._

_"…You know…I really…just wanted to thank you Amy. You've been a really great friend over the years and…I just don't know where I'd be without you around."_

_To this, Amy could barely contain her excitement as her heart fluttered and did somersaults in her chest._

_"But…"_

_Just as quickly, she felt her heart sink. But? Why was there a but in there? What but? But what?_

_"But what…?" she voiced, her tone dripping with remorse a seriousness._

_He sighed again. "But…I'm afraid that Rouge and I…and the boys. We're all going to move from this place."_

_"That's it?" she almost shrieked. "That's not a problem! I'll just tell Sonic and maybe we can go move wherever you guys do, o-or when I get my new place, I'll be sure that it's somewhere near-"_

_"No Amy."_

_Her mouth fell open in shock and she inhaled sharply. Had she heard him right? Did he just say no to her?_

_"What…?"_

_"No. I said no. I don't want you moving all over the continent just to be close to me."_

_"It's MORE than just that!" Amy spat, not believing at all what she was hearing. Here was a guy who had become her best friend over the past year and a half—the same guy that shared his deepest and innermost secrets and fears with her—a guy who opened up to her and no one else-_

_And here he was, going to move away from her and just leave her and everything they'd been through behind?_

_Amy wasn't having it!_

_"I can't believe you, Knuckles! How can you just decide on something like this and just choose to move out of my life? Rouge had to have been the main one to talk you into this! I know you would never-!"_

_"That's enough Amy…!"_

_The pink hedgehog abruptly stopped in her verbal assault and held the phone close to her face, taking everything she had to hold the tears back._

_"Now…before you start throwing problems and accusations on Rouge, I'll be the first to tell you, that it was MY idea."_

_"Wha-!"_

_"Yeah…I wanted to move someplace that isn't so crowded…a place that doesn't have some many congested streets and highways. Traffic is horrendous! …I want my boys to grow up where all they have to do is eat, sleep, play and breathe. And Rouge…"_

_"What about me…!" Amy blurted out, her hands trembling and her voice wavering._

_"What?"_

_"What about ME, Knuckles? What about us? You're my best friend! You're the only person I really trust in this neighborhood! Sonic doesn't love me, Cream is too young, Tails is away at college and Shadow is too wrapped up in his own anxiety and angst to even be a good brick WALL to talk to! You're the only one! You can't just leave us hanging like this!"_

_There was silence on the other end, then "You forgot about Rouge…"_

_"!"_

_"She IS my wife, after all."_

_"So…what…" Amy spoke with an acidic tone. "You know what, I want you to lie to me Knuckles. Just lie to me and tell me you never cared anything for me…that you never trusted me with information you'd never tell Rouge… Lie to me and say you never enjoyed a minute talking with me and hearing my voice or seeing my smile…! Just lie to me! And, I'll leave you alone…" Shaking, Amy swallowed fearfully, her body feeling the after effects of her bravery and honesty. Urgently, she bit her lip, keeping her sobs in as well as anymore words until she received an answer from Knuckles._

_Her body shivered when she heard him sigh on the other end, and her heart jumped when he finally began to voice his words._

_"…I… I'm at the house now, Amy. I'll…call you some other time alright? We'll finish this later. …"_

_Feeling every hope and object of faith she had ever held onto tie into a knot and shatter within the pit of her stomach, Amy dropped the phone from her shaking hand._

_"Bye." Was the final word Knuckles left her with before the phone clicked._

_Shaking uncontrollably, it took Amy a good few minutes just to register what had taken place that whole conversation. And once she did, hot tears invaded her eyes and she threw herself into the bed sheets, inflicting her anger upon them in the form of muffled screams and sobs. _

_OoO_

"Amy? Hey Amy are you in there?" Sonic asked, waving a hand in front of her face and quickly retracted it. She was staring off into space with a black look on her face.

"Whoa creepy." Steeping closer to her, he lightly nudged her in the shoulder. "Amy?"

"Hm?" She didn't hear exactly what he said, but heard his voice and responded to it. What was it that he had asked her before? Oh yes. He asked if she slept well. Faking a smile, she nodded to him and toyed with a loose lock of hair. "It could have been better though."

Well that part was the whole truth.

Sonic eyed her suspiciously. He could usually tell when Amy was fibbing, but other times, he really believed she was just being her usual cheery self. Shrugging it off, he sighed and patted the little television in his hand. "So, are you ready to sell this thing?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I sure am! That thing cost me a fortune when I got it from a garage sale…They thought it was some sort of 'antique.' " she began brightly, then her smile faded and annoyance took its place, "I should have known it was just another black and white portable TV." She crossed her arms and sighed, her vision drifting off to a nameless spot in the house.

"Yeah hah! But that's okay, Amy! We all make mistakes sometimes. Some of us more than others!"

"Yeah…" she replied, her tone devoid of all emotion. 'Boy, don't I know.'

Soon Sonic's chipper mood faded and he began to worry about his friend a lot more than usual. Ever since she and Knuckles started hanging out with the other, things have gotten a lot livelier around the house. But lately, things also seemed to be going in a rocky direction for Knuckles and Rouge and Amy hadn't been taking it too well. Unknown to Sonic, his eyes narrowed as he contemplated this and fell on Amy. 'Amy…', he thought, his eyes lingering near hers to find any hint of truths within them. But her eyes remained elsewhere and never met with his.

'Just what happened last night?' Sonic continued to ask himself. As if she could hear him thinking about her, Amy faced him suddenly with wide searching eyes. The moment she parted her lips, Sonic knew what she was going to ask, but let her do so anyway.

"Did Knuckles call you back yet?" she asked urgently, her expectant eyes fleeting between both of his.

Not sure how to answer her this time, Sonic simply sighed and shook his head. "No."

"Oh…" she whispered, appearing hurt and disappointed. Then she lifted her eyes back to Sonic and cracked a small smile. "Well what are we standing around here for? Let's go get this sale on the road!"

Admiring her attitude, Sonic smiled and agreed. "Yeah! Now that's the Amy I know!" Giggling lightly at his enthusiasm, Amy's smile brightened and she eagerly followed Sonic out the front door.

Once outside, Sonic had already laid out at least 3 tables with blue clothes draped over them. Countless knick-knacks, old toys and electronics covered them all. There was even a table with some old jewelry Amy had when she was growing up.

She had no use or need for them now.

Walking around the tables to make sure they held the right merchandise, Amy smiled while lightly lacing her fingertips across each clothed tabletop.

"Wow, you did a great job Sonic! I'm impressed!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Sonic grinned, taking small mock bows. "I'm glad you think so Amy! Took me a while to get the designs just right."

Amy paused abruptly and slowly turned to face him. "Designs? What designs?"

Sonic smiled, a little unsurprised that she hadn't noticed it yet and nodded towards the edges of the cloth. "There. See it?"

Amy's eyes widened and she quickly squatted to the ground to be able to see what he was referring to.

And the moment she did, her cheeks warmed with a genuine smile.

In white, and sloppy, letters Sonic had embroidered her name in the stitching. Seeing this, and being glad that her name consisted mainly of just 3 letters, Amy reached out and fingered the fabric—imprinting each curve and stitch to memory. "Oh Sonic…you really did this…! For me?"

Smiling broadly, Sonic nodded. "Yep."

Standing to her feet, she dusted off her dress and eyed him pleasantly. "But…but why?"

"Hmmm…Just think of it as a going away gift, from me." He replied with a wink. "The truth is, you've been living here a long time, and well…" Sonic looked away from her for a second, as a bashful smile overtook his lips. Amy winced.

Was this for real? Did he really care about her that much?

'Then maybe…maybe there's still hope...!' her heart secretly wished. "And well…?" she echoed, eagerly awaiting his response.

"And well uh…" he continued, running a hand through his quills, "It's really been a treat having you live here and all and I hope you move into a great place and get a great supportive job and…"

"And…and?" Amy anticipated, her voice heightening with each word.

"And,…ah shoot, I'm no good with goodbyes!" Sonic sulked, then he shrugged. Walking over to her, he reached out a hand to her.

'This is it!' Amy thought, her eyes becoming moist with an antediluvian feeling she thought she got rid of for good with Sonic…

Lowering her lids halfway, she leaned closer, expecting a kiss or a hug…

But her hopeful illusion was torn to pieces when all she felt was Sonic's firm hand clasp her shoulder. Reacting to the motion with a slight jolt, Amy dejectedly gazed up into Sonic's eyes and felt her bottom lip quiver.

Thinking she was just as difficult with saying goodbyes as he was and nothing more, Sonic gave her shoulder a pat and smiled to her, a smidgen of remorse swimming in his eyes. Catching this, Amy began to wonder exactly what he was so remorseful about, then figured it was just him and his 'being bad with goodbyes' and nothing more…

Feigning a cheerful smile, Amy rubbed his gloved hand and then slowly moved it from her shoulder. She could feel Sonic's eyes on her, looking almost through her and she hated it. Not wanting to be the center of his attention any longer from being rejected and let down a second time since she arrived there, Amy moved past him and sent her divided attention towards a random table. Tears bit the backs of her eyes and she pushed the sensation further down within herself. She couldn't deal with it now. Not with Sonic there. She couldn't talk to him about her feelings. She never could. He'd listen, but he wouldn't understand. And if he did understand, he wouldn't say a word about it. All he'd do is try to make up some lively fantasy –some creative false illusion for her to believe in when he knew the real truth.

She was a woman now. She didn't need the sugar-coated lies anymore. She needed the cold harsh and straight-forward truth. Shadow told her the truth, but he was hardly ever there. Besides Shadow, there was only one other person who actually heard her out and who could relate. Looking down, her hands balled into fists and soon she regretted ever telling Knuckles the things she had. She felt like such a fool…A complete fool…

"Hey, what are these?"

Amy frowned as the once again cheerful voice of Sonic drifted into her ears and brought her out of her depression. Slowly looking upwards towards the sky, she took a deep breath, relaxed her body, then turned his way. Silently, her eyes traveled down to where one of his gloved fingers pointed and her eyes widened in surprise as a small smile danced across her lips.

"Those are my old walkie-talkies!" she exclaimed with glee. Reaching out for one, she shook it, and flipped the switch. "Do they still work?" she asked rhetorically, pressing her ear to one. Once she heard the thin buzz on the other end, her smiled doubled in girth and she handed Sonic the other one. "Here! See how far you can go with this!"

"Alright!" Sonic eagerly replied and zipped a good 10 feet away from the house. Cupping a hand over his mouth into the tiny speaker, he blew into the microphone.

"Ahh! Sonic don't do that!" Amy's squealed from the speaker. Sonic smiled. And waved the walkie- talkie in the air.

"IT WORKS!" he shouted to her from across the yard.

Shaking her head, Amy couldn't figure out why he just didn't tell her that through the microphone and started heading back to the table. Sonic did the same.

Once they were within arm's reach of the other, both shared a well needed laugh as they eyed the small devices.

"Hey, do you really wanna sell these?" Sonic asked, starting to miss them already.

Amy placed a finger to her chin and thought about it. "Hmm, yeah. I'll sell 'em anyway! I need the money" she laughed and set the one she held down. Eying her closely, Sonic smirked, then whipped out his cell phone. As he punched in a lyric of electronic beeps and boops, Amy recognized the sequential pattern as Shadow's number. As the call went on, Amy could hear the ringing through the speaker from where she stood. 5 rings passed and still no answer.

"Hmmm…" Sonic pondered, gazing at the phone as if it wasn't listening to him and dialed Shadow's number again.

"Wait Sonic, Are you sure this is a good idea?" Amy asked, holding up a hand in caution. Then she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "He might be in one of his moods again…" she groused, emphasizing the word 'moods'. Sonic shuddered in remembrance and sighed. "Yeah well, he's still our friend, regardless of if he's creepy or not!"

Amy sighed and half-smiled. "I sure hope you're right!"

OoO

Give it to me straight how this was and how this story is going so far and please just tell me about the story and it's flow. Nothing nitty-gritty like I added one period too many to a set of 3 or something like that. Just an example. The punctuation will be dealt with too (and they were...in 2012 haha) , but I already know about that.

-Mel


	4. Regret and and a Prequel to Dilemma

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 4**

Perched devoidly atop a secluded hilltop, a small groan passed by frowning lips as the hand holding his cell phone dropped to his side.

"Still no answer…" he grumbled, holding up the small device. Glazed crimson eyes scanned over the number he had punched into the phone and his frown deepened.

"Why isn't she answering…?" he questioned himself. A fleeing thought passed through his mind and he closed the phone. "Could she…have forgotten about me?"

Possibly. It had been four years after all…The last time he spoke to her was 4 years ago… She had just had a birthday…and an engagement party all in the same day.

He was invited to both and the wedding held weeks shortly thereafter, but he didn't stay. The moment he had walked through those doors and saw her with her husband to be, he couldn't take it. He couldn't bare to see her with another male, even if she was happy.

But deep down, even though she told him that, he didn't believe her.

He scoffed at himself. He didn't blame her for not wanting to talk to him or for forgetting about him.

He disrespected her by not showing up to either of those priceless and precious moments and on top of that, he had stopped trying to contact her two years after the wedding. Whenever she called, he didn't answer. He never knew how to face her.

And now, 2 years after that, he regretted ever doing so.

It had been 4 years later, and NOW he was attempting to call her again?

"Pathetic." He lugubriously stated. "Absolutely pathetic."

Growling curtly, the dark and carmine hedgehog rose from the boulder he had been slouching on and brought his phone back into his line of vision. Placing his thumb along the groove that separated the top from its bottom, he let his thumb roll along the top part of the phone as it rolled open.

Staring into the brightly backlit screen, his deep eyes scanned over all the icons and leafed through the menus the phone had, checking to see if he had gotten any new messages or voice mails.

And from what he saw nearly was shocking enough for him to drop the phone from his hands, but he held it tightly.

Someone had called him! Twice! And they had left a message!

Eagerly, the hedgehog pressed a few buttons to check, when another incoming call came, and since he had already been punching in buttons, he accidentally accepted the call.

"Finally!" the slightly nasal voice on the other end exhaled. "Hey Shadow! What's up?"

Recognizing that distinctive voice anywhere, the dark hedgehog growled as he placed the sleek phone to his ear.

"What."

Startled by such a cold greeting, but not letting it show, Sonic's cool voice continued to sound as enthusiastic as ever. "Sorry to catch you at a bad time, but could you head back to the house for a sec? Amy and I have something we want to ask ya!"

Saying nothing as the hedgehog's words passed through his ears, Shadow looked down in thought, as his eyes aimlessly gazed upon the wide horizon beyond his location. He wondered if she lived around here…

"Shadow? Hey Shadow, ya hear me?"

"Yeah…" he replied, his features softening a bit at the thought of her. "Just give me a minute, I'll be there."

"Wow he agreed to this a lot easier than I expected!" Sonic's surprised tone wavered through the phone. "Allright meet ya here! Later!"

-click!-

Standing to his feet, Shadow closed the call and returned to his previous engagement of discovering who called him.

But much to his dismay, it was only that cerulean hedgehog who had called AND left the message.

Frowning even more, Shadow mentally kicked himself for ever getting his hopes up about the past. Slipping his Chocolate phone back into its former inventory, Shadow gave one last look to the city below, before teleporting away.

--

Driving down the highway, Rouge instinctively looked both ways, and then glanced in her rear view mirror before she merged into the left lane closest to her.

In the back seat, Akai and Amethyst contented themselves by gazing out the windows on their respective sides and naming what they saw.

"Look there's another one of those big blue signs on the right with all the pictures on it!" Akai called, pointing towards a pit-stop/resting sign.

"Yeah, and here comes one of the big green ones up above!" Amethyst named, pointing a gloved finger towards the route signs.

Glancing back at them, Rouge smiled lightly then kept her attention on the traffic ahead of her. Gradually, she started to slow the car down.

"What's that?" she rhetorically asked, squinting to peer down a good mile or so in front of her.

Looked like a build up!

Groaning, she stepped on the gas and cut in front of a car as she moved over to the furthest right lane. "I'll just take an exit and go another way." She uttered to herself.

Little did she know that, the beltway she just turned off of was the same one Knuckles had been stuck on…

While steering the car with one hand on the wheel, Rouge smoothly took the acutely curved turn around the exit's bend and found herself not that far away from a gas station.

Once she saw it, and noticed that it had a mini mart attached to it, her stomach began a rumbling protest.

"Uh oh!" Amethyst sang playfully.

"Mommy's hungry again!" Akai finished for him, with a grin that almost matched one of Knuckles' exactly.

Laughing at them from how cute they were, Rouge glanced back at them through the mirror and smirked. "You BET mommy's hungry! Let's say we swing on over there and get some snacks huh?"

"Oooh! As long as it's candy-snacks!" Akai brought up.

But when his brother made no agreement, Akai elbowed him in the arm and he immediately jumped. "Yeah candy!"

"I'll think about it…" Rouge smiled. Rolling up into the station, Rouge pulled into a parking space and pulled up the brake.

Being slightly jostled from the action, Amethyst and Akai both drew their eyes to their mother, out of habit.

Grabbing her purse, Rouge turned and looked back at them. "Akai, you're in charge. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay!" Akai cheered, pretending to flex his little muscles. Amethyst looked at his mother with big pleading eyes, then turned to his brother and pushed him. "You don't have any muscles!"

"Yes I do, see?" Akai challenged, making a fist and attempting to show off his extremely small bicep to his brother.

Amethyst made a face and slapped his arm down. "You don't have any! Right mommy?" he asked, hoping his mother would agree with him.

But instead of even giving him a response, Rouge's eyes lay half hidden behind her eyelids and she had been staring off into space.

Unknown to her children, their display of sibling rivalry caused her to fall into a mesmeric state. Akai behaved just like Knuckles…and if looked at by a glance, he could easily be mistaken for his smaller mirror image. The only difference was his red eyes….which fit his energetic and fiery personality perfectly. And Amethyst, while he was the cooler head of the two, his body shape also matched that of Knuckles. The only differences were of course, the color of his coat and his slightly smaller hands. He didn't have mitts like Akai and Knuckles did. But his eyes were violet…just like…

Feeling a pang of sadness and pain suddenly rip through her, Rouge jumped in the seat as if she had been frightened by a ghost and slowly came back to her senses. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes and looked back at the boys, who greeted her with bewildered and confused expressions.

"Mama…mommy, are you allright?" Amethyst asked, leaning forward in the seatbelt. Even though he was the farthest away from her, the gesture he attempted to make towards her made her smile. "Yes, sweetie." Rouge replied, taking hold of his hand. "Mommy's fine. She just had a thought…about your father, that's all." She added, trying to keep her smile so they wouldn't worry.

Akai's eyes narrowed. Even at his young age, he knew something was up, but he didn't say anything or direct any of it towards his mother.

Giving them both winks each, Rouge gripped her purse firmly, as if to remind herself that she still held it and slipped out the seat. As she closed the door behind her and headed towards the shop, her two sons watched without a word, but assorted looks on their faces. Akai wore a skeptical expression while Amethyst appeared worried. "I really hope mommy's allright…"

"She's fine…" Akai scoffed, crossing his little arms. "But anyways, I'm so hungwy!"

"Me too!"

"I hope mommy comes back with lotsa candy!"

"And jelly donuts!"

"Yeah! Donuts!"

--

Back at Sonic's place, Amy idly gazed at some of the old toys she was giving away, while Sonic was still unpacking boxes from the attic and lugging them outside.

On his way back in, his phone started to vibrate, and he quickly took it out and flipped it open. Seeing that it was Knuckles who called, Sonic stepped to the front door and peeked out at Amy. Hoping she didn't see him, Sonic inched to a side of the doorway. ,"Yeah…? What's up?" he asked, barely being heard, then nearly had to pull the phone away from his ear as a stream of growls and angry swears flew out.

Cupping a hand over the speaker so Amy wouldn't recognize Knuckle's voice, Sonic ran upstairs and into one of the bathrooms.

Locking the door behind him, he held the phone back up to his ear. "Hey man, what's your problem? "

More grumbles that Sonic couldn't make out. "What? Well at least you called. And what is up with you and Amy, man? All's she's been doing for the past few days was ask about you!"

Hearing Amy's name, there was a slight sound of coughing on Knuckles' end.

"Knuckles speak up!"

"...Look, Sonic I'm going to need you to help me out."

"Huh? Help you with what?"

"Well…it's a long story, but…"

"Just tell me where you are and I'll come get you…"

"…Well… from the looks of it, I'm about to be taken down to the county Police Station…"

"WHAT!" Surprised by such a response, Sonic almost burst out laughing, but held it in as best as he could, knowing Knuckles was serious.

"Allright I'll be there in a flash, Knux. And don't blink!" he added with a smirk, and closed the phone. Unlocking the door, he pulled it open and nearly leapt backwards into the shower from the sight of the curious pink hedgehog looking at him with wide green eyes. Her hand was raised in a light fist, as if she was about to knock.

Sonic broke out in cold sweat, then nervously laughed it off,. "A-Amy, what are you doing here? Can't a guy get a little privacy!" he squeaked, rubbing the back of his head. 'Man, did she hear me talking to him…?' he thought feverishly.

But a large exhalation of breath whooshed from him when Amy tossed a thumb to her right and the form of Shadow literally darkened the doorway.

"Whew! Man, am I glad to see you!"

Eyeing him keenly, Shadow's lips twisted into a detested smirk and he shook his head. "Don't ever talk to me about how happy you are to see me while standing in a bathroom again, hedgehog…"

Amy gave Sonic a wild look then began to snicker.

Sonic laughed it off. "Yeah well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta run!"

"Hold on" Shadow stopped him. "What did you call me over here for?"

"Sonic got lonely" Amy joked with a daring smirk.

From the look that she gave him, Sonic couldn't tell if she was being playful or serious. Actually, it sounded kind of cold.

Well, worry about that later! He had Knuckles to save.

"Amy can tell you where to find them, but there are these cool walkie talkies that she has, and we need to make sure that they work over long distances."

Shadow's lids lowered. "…So because I have the ability to cover vast distances within seconds with Chaos Control, you want me to do it…"

Both Sonic and Amy nodded.

Shadow sighed. "Fine, but what's in it for me?"

"Eat all the food you want, I don't care." Sonic shrugged, itching to get out of there.

Shadow half-smiled. "You know I haven't been eating that much lately, but whatever. When I find something, I'll let you know." Turning to Amy, Shadow suddenly touched her shoulder and the second she looked upto him, they disappeared. And so did Sonic, out the bathroom window, at the speed of sound.

-To sum up, Shadow didn't live near the city at all before moving in with Sonic. It just so happens that ironically both Knuckles and Rouge live in that city too

And yes, Shadow has the new Chocolate phone. I figured it's black body and red buttons would match him. (going by the model shown in the commercials in the US)

-Mel


	5. DILEMMA

The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 5

"Here they are." Amy gestured, while picking one of the walkie talkies up. "Here, you take this one and go out abouuut say, 20 meters and say anything, if you can hear me."

"Got it…" Shadow replied dully. Sneaking a quick glance at her as she reached over for the one she was going to use, a smug smile swept across his lips. "You still haven't told him yet, have you…?" he asked, referring to Amy telling Sonic how she really felt.

Hearing this, Amy paused for a second, then turned to casually face him. "…No."

"I knew it…"

"I did try to…twice! But Sonic, he…! He just doesn't get it!" Amy shot back, green eyes flaring. "You'd think a pretty girl like me wouldn't need to do too much OVER-explaining about wanting to be with someone. But even THAT doesn't work!"

Shadow chuckled. "I'm not surprised. "He can be pretty dense at times."

"Yeah…." Amy sighed, trailing off. It wasn't long before her thoughts started to wander. Shadow was able to sympathize with her somewhat—to an extent. It almost seemed like the reason why he did was because he pitied her.

Amy wasn't too glad about the pity part, but she needed to talk to somebody all those years living with Sonic.

But Shadow wasn't too fond of the house and still had plenty of disappointments towards his recent past and shut himself out from them and everyone else most of the time.

Amy never really knew why he shut himself out so much, but she DID know that he wasn't too crazy about Knuckles. One of the times she brought his name upto Shadow, she remembered him getting so angry that he teleported out of his room and she hadn't seen or heard from him until 3 days later when he dragged himself back into the house, nearly famished from hunger.

She knew not to do that again.

And with Knuckles leaving soon, Shadow would be all she'd have to talk to, and unless he woke up bright and perky the next morning, she highly doubted that would ever happen.

She sighed.

"Knuckles…why…!" she muttered, not realizing she had her finger pressed on one of the buttons on the walkie-talkie.

An enraged sound was heard from the other end, breaking her out of her daydream and she suddenly realized that Shadow had left already to test out the devices and when he heard that name..

"Oh shoot!" Amy shouted, covering her mouth for letting Knuckles' name slip again round Shadow. And what was worse was that she said his name without realizing.

That…wasn't good.

"I'm sorry Shadow! It just-!"

"Just drop it Amy…" he groused, pushing his anger aside. "I'll get over it. " He sighed. "Well, it seems like these things still have range. How much further do you want me to go now?"

"Um…" she thought, looking around for another location and biting her lip. "H-how about 2 miles?

Shadow's ears flinched at the number. "Fine with me" he stated, neglecting to inform her that his use of chaos control had been giving him a few problems lately. Nothing too serious, just shortages every now and then. Using the walkie talkies would actually help him test out his distance. Contemplating on the distance ahead of him, Shadow disappeared in a small flash of light.

Reaching the Police Station, Sonic got there just in time and actually met Knuckles and the officer he ran into at the doors.

Standing there, leaning against one of the station's pillars with one arm, a playful smirk flickered over his lips. "Miss me?"

After a brief explanation that Knuckles was associated with Sonic and that he was just having a bad day and didn't mean any harm, the officer let Knuckles go.

Heading down the steps to the station, Knuckles rubbed his wrists. "Man that was the first time I've gotten arrested in a while around here!"

With a questioning look, Sonic darted his attention to Knuckles, obviously interested in hearing more about this story, but Knuckles knew better. "Forget it, Blue. You're not hearing any of that one!"

Sonic chuckled. "Fine! But if you don't mind, I'm kinda in a rush, so hang on and don't get sick!" Sonic chirped, grabbing Knuckles by the arm, and before he could protest, Sonic took off blazing down the street.

Once back at the house, Sonic zipped in through the back door and dropped Knuckles off in the kitchen. "You wait here while I go get Amy." He stated with a new serious edge in his voice.

"Sonic, wait! ..Ugh it's no use." Knuckles grumbled and loosened his shirt collar. Talk about leaping out of the frying pan and into the fire… Amy was going to light him up if she saw him now! He still needed to get his and Rouge's argument off his chest, so any more drama would have to wait.

Back outside, Amy whirled around the minute she heard Sonic close the front door behind him. Smiling faintly upon his return, she opened her mouth to greet him with a 'welcome back' but the odd and rare serious expression on his face stopped her words before they were formed.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. Hand me this for a sec." Sonic spoke dryly, his words just tumbling out with hardly any emotion at all.

Of course this got Amy to worry, but she handed him the walkie talkie. And the instant he pressed the talking button on the device, his voice magically seemed to perk right up. But Amy knew he was forcing it.

"Shadow! Hey Shadow, come in, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear, Sonic" Shadow replied, gliding gracefully through the city. "What happened to Amy?"

"Oh, she's right here, don't worry!"

"Allright" Shadow uttered.

Discreetly, his eyes moved from one side of the city, to the next and then to the previous one as he passed through at wind-breaking speed. It was as if he were looking for someone.

"Allright, stop there!" Sonic stated and Shadow did just that. "Allright, where are ya man?"

"I'm….." Shadow began, looking around until his eyes fell on a brightly colored gas station and searched for a name. "…at the Grexaco Gas Station…"

"Really?" Sonic whistled "That's some distance! Hey Amy!"

Amy's voice could be heard through the receiver. "Yeah Sonic?"

As Sonic talked to her, Shadow's attention wavered elsewhere and he gave the gas station another look.

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Shadow clenched a fist out of habit and walked over closer to it.

There weren't very many people there today, but the ones he did pass gave him odd looks and snickers. Glaring at them, he didn't even have to say a word and they moved by with without a second thought.

Satisfied, Shadow stood near one of the vehicles and glanced in, then did a double take.

For a second her thought he saw four eyes looking at him, but nothing was there.

Mildly amused that someone may be playing a game with him, he smirked and lowered his lids. "Hmmm…"

"Hey! What do you think you're doin', Akai?" Amethyst shouted in a hushed tone to his brother, who was beginning to peer out the window again. "Aww be quiet Amafist, you were looking too!"

"Yeah, but I stopped! You're the one still lookin'! Now stop before mom comes back and sees you playin' with strangers!"

Akai scoffed and turned up his little nose. "Ha! Mom won't even know! I'll be done lookin' before she comes back! Besides, maybe that spiky haired guy left already!" he figured, starting to turn back towards the window.

Boy was he wrong.

Two glowing red eyes looked back at him through the window. A small smirk played across Shadow's lips, taunting the little echidna.

"Waaaah!" Akai shrieked, falling back into the backseat.

"I TOLD YOU!" Amethyst reprimanded.

"You're not helping!" Akai shot back, scrambling to sit up.

Helping his brother to sit up, Amethyst reached over for his seatbelt. "Here, put this on, put this on!"

"I am! I am!"

As the little echidnas hurried to pretend as if nothing had happened when their mother came back, Shadow continued to watch them hurriedly move about.

A thin smile drew across his lips from their behavior, but a scowl soon took its place as his next thought came to mind.

'…They look so familiar …. Almost like Knuckles…'

Knuckles? Knuckles was the only known echidna living that he ever knew about. His hands balled into fists to prove it.

He knew that when he and Rouge last lost contact, she was courting Knuckles.

Shadow's face began to contort into one of the most sour expressions ever imaginable as his mind continued to plague him with images of those two together.

So…these were …their children?

A sudden sense of nausea swept over him at the thought of Knuckles being intimate with Rouge and he stepped back from the car.

At that same moment, the doors to the gas station's mini mart opened, and there was Rouge—holding a honey bun in one hand, a giant pretzel in the other and a bunch of other snacks and hot dogs bundled and jumbled in her arms.

But the second she looked up at the car and saw some stranger so close to her children, everything dropped from her grasp.

Hearing a muffled crash, Shadow tore his attention away from the van, just in time to duck a high kick from Rouge. It crossed his mind that she was still in great shape from since he last saw her and he smiled without realizing.

But had it been that long that she would actually confuse him for a stranger and attack him?

Highly possible, he figured.

While he continued to block and dodge her lightening fast kicks and drills, Shadow's mind began to wander again. But he placed his thoughts aside and caught the next blazing fast kick she threw at him.

"Hey Rouge…It's been a long time…"

Hearing her name spoken in such a familiar way, Rouge gasped and leapt away from Shadow—lucid green eyes searching him for answers.

Seeing her remembering, Shadow fought against the slight pain of seeing her try to remember him and tried to smile when her glistening jewels graced his face.

Something inside him felt latched into place the moment he beheld her face light up and a broad smile grew across it.

That face! The same face she thought she would never see again.

After all the years that had gone by without them saying a word to each other, he still remembered her? She had never forgotten about him either, but she had given up on figuring out why he stopped calling her. She thought for the longest time they weren't friends anymore.

"SHADOW!" she cried, already running to him and nearly tackling him with a huge bear hug. "OH SHADOW! How ARE you! I've MISSED YOU!" she cheered, squeezing him tighter with each word.

"I…missed you too, Rouge…!" he managed to wheeze out between squeezes.

Realizing he could barely breath with her hugging him like that, Rouge released her grip from him and stepped back. "Oh… sorry…" she murmured. Her watery eyes searched his eagerly, trying to extract any hint of emotion from him.

And then as if someone had tripped a switch, Rouge brow furrowed and she slapped Shadow hard across the face.

Faltering a step back, Shadow immediately rubbed his cheek and stared at her with his mouth in a gape—silently asking a million questions.

Smiling slyly, Rouge crossed her arms over her chest and smiled darkly.

"…That's what you get for running into me by coincidence instead of AVOIDING me all these years!"

Shadow eyed her with confusion and shock. "But, Rouge, I wasn't avoiding you…"

"Oh really?" she scoffed. "What kind of best friend goes to another's wedding, then leaves out the door before anyone can even say hello!"

Shadow's brows rose as he heard this. "You…saw me…?" he whispered, barely inaudible, but Rouge's excellent hearing picked up on them right away.

"Y-E-S, I SAW you, Shadow!"

"But that was—"

"I wasn't finished yet!"

"…!"

"What kind of best friend would stop calling someone he so called 'cared' for after the supposedly happiest day of her life!"

There was a brief pause in silence as both Shadow and Rouge realized what she had said.

Her getting married was supposedly the happiest day of her life?

There were two words in that sentence that should not have been together—especially when dealing with marriage.

So what did that mean?

Rouge inwardly cursed herself and looked away for a moment.

Feeling the weight and pressure this was putting on her, Shadow stepped closer to her and hesitantly placed a light hand on her shoulder. "Rouge?" he called softly, but in return, Rouge shrugged his touch away and turned her back to him.

Stepping back, Shadow rested his hands at his sides. Tilting his head, he eyed her significantly and as the next thought came to mind, a slick smirk drew across his lips.

'So…she wasn't happy with marrying him…' he thought, almost relieved.

"…You're not happy…are you, Rouge…?"

The woman flinched at his words, but then her demeanor calmed. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head then slightly gazed sideways at Shadow.

"… …Ha… that sure didn't take you long to figure out. …" she murmured, barely whispering "…You were always great at…figuring me out…" she continued, her words beginning to waver.

Knowing she was holding back her tears, Shadow sighed and placed his arms around her shoulders. And without any resistance, she accepted. Shaking, she placed her hands on his arms and laid her chin on them. Resting his head on hers, Shadow's eyes drifted off into the horizon ahead of them.

What could he do to make things right for her? She still considered him a friend so that was good, but…she needed more than that.

Or did she?

He wondered about that.

"Hey it's that guy again!" Akai reported, standing up on the backseat and looking out the window again. "He's still there!"

"You'd better be careful, Akai! You don't want to get in trouble again!" Amethyst warned.

"Pssh! Forget that! Hey! Mom's HUGGING him again! Better not let daddy see!"

"Yeah, or he'll yell!" Amethyst responded, already covering his ears.

"Shadow…" Rouge's soft voice slowly brought Shadow out of his thoughts and he pulled away just enough to look at her.

But she didn't do the same, as she continued to stare off into the remote distance with her back to him.

Cool and quiet winds whispered past her and fluttered playfully in her hair. Her face was illuminated with a warm outlined glow from the setting sun.

Watching her while nature amplified her beauty a thousand-fold, a blooming warmth spread throughout Shadow's body and ended up laced in a streak of crimson across his face.

With all those years gone by, he had continued to miss Rouge and his frustration for not doing anything that could have changed both of their lives followed him as well as his feelings for her.

He had always cared for her and was always there to support her until the day she was married.

Something inside of him stirred and he wondered…what if he had stayed that day? Maybe the wedding would have been called off. Maybe he would have even intervened and objected to it.

But all of that was in the past now. There was absolutely nothing he could do to get that moment back to "correct" it.

It just was what it was.

And he had chose to live it.

But what were Rouge's views on the whole thing?

Shivering from her previous restraint of tears, Rouge finally fully turned to him—a small smile dancing upon her lips.

Shadow blinked at her sudden mood change, but his softened as well.

"Yes…?" he asked, eyeing those beautiful green jewels of hers.

The ends of her mouth quivered as she tried to keep the smile steady, but the weight of her unborn words were baring quite a toll on her.

Unsurely, she spoke. "…Why…Why did you come back…?"

Shadow's eyes widened and he was taken aback by her words.

Why did he come back! Of all the questions to ask!

Holding down his frustration, he took a small and shallow breath and answered her flatly. "Because I wanted t—"

"Shadow! Hey Shadow!" Sonic's nasally voice called from the walkie-talkie. "Hey man, sorry about that. Was talkin' to Amy about sumthin'."

Damn that Sonic! Such terrible timing he had!

"Not NOW Sonic!" Shadow growled back into the microphone.

"Huh?" the blue hedgehog appeared quite surprised. "Haha what're you talkin' about Shadow? Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Shadow groaned "Of all the obvious…YES, you caught me at a bad time!"

"Here, let me say something…" Rouge stated, holding out her hand for Shadow to give her the device. When he refused, she snatched it from his hands and pressed the button.

"Listen up, Sonic, Shadow is having an ordeal right now, so get off his back, allright?"

There was a sharp intake of air, then silence on Sonic's end as if he had heard the news of his life.

"What? What is it? What'd he say?" Amy's curious voice drifted over the speaker in the background.

Fuming, Shadow threw a glare at Rouge and she returned it with a 'what is it now!' look of her own.

"…I don't think you should have done that…!" Shadow forced out through clenched teeth as he took the walkie-talkie away from her.

Great, another example of bad timing! Was it going to get any better than that?

"Rouge is that you!" Sonic shouted—a little louder than necessary while holding the walkie-talkie to his ear like a phone.

Things had just gotten a little more interesting, he couldn't help but want to hear more. HE had to…for Knuckles' sake.

But unknown to him, that little stunt was going to cause more drama than he needed.

Hearing the bat's name clear as day, Amy gasped and nearly shook with shock. "ROUGE is with HIM?"

"Where is Rouge?"

At the sound of the new, yet familiar voice, both Sonic and Amy turned to see a flustered Knuckles standing just outside the house's doorway.

Blazing violet eyes met with liquidy green opals as the hurt and confusion painfully grew within Amy's heart.

Watching her delicate emotions shatter into mere pieces right in front of him, Knuckles turned away from her. He couldn't bear to face her.

In tears, Amy looked to Sonic.

That idiot! He must have brought Knuckles here on purpose! But for what reason?

Suddenly, the reason no longer mattered to Amy and she angrily pushed Sonic. "You KNEW, didn't you!" she yelled "You knew all along Knuckles was here!"

Alarmed, Sonic tried to catch her assaults but could do nothing against them or her. "A-Amy I…!"

"Don't LIE to me, you bastard! Tell me the fu#king TRUTH for once! You always LIE to me!"

"Amy, stop!" Knuckles vociferated, flying over to her and slipping his arms under hers, locking them in place to restrain her. "Killing Sonic won't do you any good! It's me you need to be angry with!"

Squirming in rage, Amy shook her head roughly and violently tried to kick Knuckles in the knees to let her go.

"LET GO OF ME!"

"Not until you calm your hyper ass down!"

"I SAID let go!"

"The both of you get a hold of yourselves!" Sonic shouted. "This isn't getting us anywhere!"

"Shut up, Sonic!" Amy spat, and Knuckles casually clasped a mitt over her mouth. But that didn't stop her, and she continued to curse Sonic out in muffled words while still attempting to get free.

Sighing, Knuckles looked at her, then to Sonic. "Where do you want me to take her…?"

Sonic cocked his head towards the door and directed a thumb to a side of the house. "To the living room. You go sit her down and I'll get her something to drink to calm her down."

Knuckles nodded. "You got it!" And with that, he proceeded to drag Amy into the house as Sonic raced ahead of them.

-Mel


	6. Spiked Tea and Memories

**The Babysitter Affair**

_Chapter 6_

-

"What were you thinking!" Shadow growled, turning off the walkie-talkie with a quick movement of his wrist.

Awestruck, Rouge blinked, then adverted her gaze away from him. "…I didn't know Knuckles was there too…"

"Neither did I! But now Sonic and Amy probably know that you're with me!"

Hearing this, Rouge scoffed. "It's not like we're committing a crime here, Shadow!"

'Maybe not yet…' Shadow thought without realizing.

Rouge shrugged and ran her fingers through her short tresses. "Anyway, why are you so caught up in what those two think?"

"...I've been living with them for a while now…"

Rouge's eyes went wide. "…Sonic is living with Amy…and you're living under the same roof as Sonic…?"

Half-smiling at her tone of voice, Shadow nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Oh, Shadow…!" Rouge laughed while stepping closer to him. Shadow's face suddenly became warm as he watched Rouge raise a hand and place it to his forehead. "Are you sick?" she continued, moving her hand lightly to his cheek, then to his neck.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Shadow stepped out of her embrace and quickly turned his back to her. "Could you…not do that…?" he uttered softly.

Rouge giggled at him. "Still the same shy Shadow…"

Slightly bothered by that comment, on cue, he turned away from her.

Rouge's eyes gradually widened as she sought him—thoughts of her crossing the line. Well it had been 4 years after all! How much has he changed, she wondered. Starting to feel guilty, she prepared herself to apologize. Until she saw him nervously scratch the back of his head.

She smirked. 'He's embarrassed allright…'

Feeling comfort reclaiming her once more, Rouge stepped closer to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey come on, don't be like that. If I made you made I'm sorry…"

Softly Shadow spoke up. "You didn't make me mad Rouge…"

Giggling, she walked in front of him and leaned her body downwards, looking up at him.

Feeling his cheeks warm up for the second time that day, Shadow adverted his eyes away from her.

And Rouge could appreciate that angle generously.

But since they did meet by chance, there was also the possibility of him racing out of her life a second time, and she couldn't allow that…

Composing her posture, Rouge smiled to Shadow and stepped over to the other side of him so that her back was towards the van.

"Shadow…"

Hearing his name called so sweetly by her, Shadow casually turned around. "…Hmmm?"

Feeling her eagerness, Shadow suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

He wanted to stay close to her, to always be able to keep in touch with her…but how? Shadow 's eyes drifted towards the van behind her. Realizing he was looking past her, Rouge followed his eyes to the van. As soon as she looked, Akai ducked and laid flat on the seat.

"D'yah think she saw me?" he asked his brother, who glanced in the rear view mirror and saw his mother cross her arms.

"Yup."

"Aww crud!"

"Awwww mommy said that's a bad worrrd!"

"Nooo don't tell mommy I said crud!"

"AWWW you said it AGAIN!"

"Noo don't tell herrrr! I won't share my candy with you if you do!"

"Okay I won't tell!"

Akai grinned. Such a young and tender age and already, he was learning about bribery…

"What are those boys upto now…"

Looking down, Shadow scoffed. "They look just like their…"

"…Don't…" Rouge interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him. "Please…don't go there. I've been thinking about that enough for today. I don't need to be reminded of it again…"

Shadow's brows raised high on his head when he heard this. "What's the matter, trouble in paradise?"

Rouge threw him a hurtful look.

He didn't mean to say that, it just---slipped out!

"I-I'm sorry Rouge, I must have been thinking out loud…"

"…Yeah…" she agreed sternly, nodding her head and narrowing her eyes. "Listen, Shadow, we need to talk… Knuckles and I have…been on thin ice lately in our marriage and…well…" she forced a small smile and stepped closer to Shadow. "…You're my best friend and the only one I can really talk to…so…could you hear me out sometime…? Please?"

Shadow felt his face warm up from the little act she was putting on. He knew she was telling the truth, but, it was the way she did it that got him to blush.

"Well, I'm glad you can still consider me to be your best friend."

"Yeah…" Rouge nodded with a comforting smile that reassured him. "So am I…"

There was a small silence between them. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence…but there was tension in the air…

"Listen um…Shadow..." Rouge began, nervously twisting a finger through her ivory locks.

"Yes Rouge…?"

Blushing lightly from the tone in his voice, Rouge smiled faintly and adverted her eyes for a moment. "Watch the boys for a minute, would you? I'm going back in the store to get them some snacks."

Bewildered, Shadow watched her blankly as she jogged out of his field of vision and into the shop.

--

Back in Sonic's house, Amy and Knuckles were both seated on one of the sofas in the living room.

Surprisingly those two could stay under the same room as the other, let alone sit side by side.

Just after hour-seeming minutes of much shouting before, Sonic had Knuckles hold Amy down while he poured a cup of warm tea down her throat.

Nearly choking, she blanked out for a few seconds, then woke back up.

She was still a little delirious, but not as much as she was earlier. Gradually, she had begun to calm down. And Sonic, who took advantage of that moment, went back into the kitchen and got her some more "tea".

Now, gently holding the tea cup in both her hands with one hand under it and the other around the handle, Amy sighed.

Gazing into the balmy liquid, she wondered what else was in it. She had begun to feel a bit sleepy.

Too tired to argue with it, Amy let it slide and continued to stare into space.

Silently, Knuckles eyed her. It was almost hard to believe this was the same girl who was violently kicking him to let her go.

Now she was calm, and collected even.

His lids lowered in thought.

Just what did Sonic put in that tea anyway…?

Shaking his head, he figured he'd just worry about that later. Sliding closer to her on the sofa, Knuckles draped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

She hardly made a move.

Not knowing if she was ignoring him or if being non-responsive was her way of coping, Knuckles rubbed her shoulder and tried to smile.

"So…are you ready to talk to me now instead of screaming curses like a sailor…?"

Slowly, Amy nodded, still not looking at him.

Figuring that was better than nothing, Knuckles continued. "Allright. …So…" he trailed off, not knowing how to begin.

Luckily Amy beat him to it.

"…You're still leaving me …aren't you?"

Silence. He hadn't expected that to come up so soon.

"I suppose I had that coming…" he sighed, then removed his hand from her. "But first… I want to know about this…" he stated, pulling the pink band form his pocket.

Lazily gazing over to it, Amy's expression winced in slight surprise, and her eyes slowly traveled upto his. "…Where did you get that…?"

"Huh? Don't play games with me, Amy. There's no one else on this block who could get close enough to me to put this in my dreads but you. Now, I want to know when and why you put this in my hair…"

She blinked, staring at him with almost no emotion in her eyes. "…Why…"

"Why! Because Rouge fu#kin' found it that's why! She's accusing me of cheating on her because of it! That's WHY" he emphasized.

Not sharing in his emotion, Amy blinked at him again then ruefully looked away.

She almost appeared lost.

Lowly, she spoke. "…Knuckles…you already know I really wanted you to stay with me…that night you came to my room and we talked…going on about everything and nothing at the same time. We talked for hours… I…I just knew you never had that with Rouge." She sighed. "You probably just wanted to screw her senseless whenever you got home…"

Knuckles broke out in cold sweat at this. He couldn't say she was wrong about that, but he couldn't say he ever really kept anything from her either.

He could clearly see that he was someone very special to her and she didn't know what or how to think of him, exactly. She didn't care that he had a wife and she cared even less that it was Rouge.

He actually couldn't blame her with that one. She knew about him and Rouge getting too close too soon. Right after they explored treasure hunting together, it wasn't long before they started exploring each other.

Maybe that was more than what they both could have handled then?

Maybe. But he didn't know.

Sighing, he glanced to Amy once more and then to the cup she held.

If he didn't know any better, he'd say her hands were shaking…

Trailing his eyes back upto her, he was almost shocked to see her with a dead-pan expression but with tears budding the corner of her eye.

"Amy…"

"Why…why are you leaving…why do you have to go… We never…settled things between the two of us… "

Knuckles raised an eyebrow.

"The two of us? What?" he spoke aloud without realizing. "Amy…there is no 'two of us'. There never was!"

Her body flinched at his words.

Saying nothing for a moment, Amy peered down into her cup, then turned to Knuckles with weary and puffy eyes.

Parting her lips slowly, she carefully chose her words.

"Let's just say, you made a mistake and leave it at that."

Knuckles winced and before he could say a word, Amy's body had begun to sway and she fell on him, dropping the cup of tea from her hands.

It hit the carpet with a soft –tink-- and some of its contents splashed along Knuckles' shoes.

"Damn, I just had these re-waxed!" he mumbled to himself.

Returning his attention to Amy, Knuckles slipped his arms around her and laid her across his lap.

His eyes narrowed as they consumed her shape and he quickly removed any wandering thoughts from his mind.

Amy was just his friend. But she did make a good point. He did tell her more than he told Rouge.

Why? Because he knew Rouge wouldn't be as understanding as Amy was. If he came to Rouge about an unsettling situation, she would laugh at him and tell him to deal with it like a man, or to toughen up. She would make jokes, and while she meant well, he hardly ever took them that way.

He shuddered as Rouge's words about him giving their marriage one more good push downhill rang into his mind.

She probably hated him now.

And deep down, a part of him welcomed that.

As he continued to ponder about this, Sonic casually strolled into the room and nearly dropped the tray of sandwiches he was carrying.

And from the flabbergasted look on his face, Knuckles knew he had even more explaining to do.

"I know I know. We need to talk." He remarked to the astonished hedgehog, who still had his mouth hung in a gape.

Knuckles half-smiled. "You can close your mouth now, you know. I'm sure you don't want to get hedgehog saliva all over your carpet..." Then he remembered something. "Oh yeah, and when Amy fell, she dropped her cup on the floor. Sonic…just what the heck did you put in there?"

Hearing this, the azure hedgehog grinned and zipped into the kitchen. When he came back, Knuckles' eyes went wide as Sonic held up two bottles of whiskey and one bottle of rum.

Knuckles' pupils minimized to dots. "Wh-WHAT the HELL, Sonic!" he forced himself to shout in a hushed voice so he wouldn't disturb Amy. He wasn't doing a very good job. The aggravation was very clear in his voice. "Don't you know this girl is underage to be drinking?"

Sonic smirked faintly then shrugged. "Of course I know. It wasn't enough to drown her in it, just enough to calm her down."

"And KNOCK her out!" Knuckles added through clenched teeth. "Just look at her! She's only what, fu#king 16!"

"Shh, calm down Knuckles! Do you want to wake her up?" Sonic retaliated, heading back to the kitchen to put the bottles away.

Returning to the room, Sonic glanced at the fuming Knuckles then shook his head. It was obvious he really cared for Amy. Maybe he cared a bit too much. Inwardly, Sonic whistled. If only Amy could see herself now being draped across Knuckles' lap like that.

She probably would have latched on him like there was no tomorrow.

Thinking about this got Sonic to frown a little. He remembered when Amy used to hug and cling onto him at every given opportunity.

Where did the time go? How could she have such a quick change of heart so fast?

Then he shrugged it off. A lot could happen in a few years. Knuckles and Rouge were already married with children after all.

Wait a minute—Rouge!

He had forgotten about her! Why was she in the same area as Shadow?

Sonic didn't know, but he was determined to find out. He knew that she and Shadow used to be close and he was more than sure that Knuckles knew.

He hoped that Knuckles had forgotten about hearing Rouge's name earlier.

Sonic inwardly sighed. Shadow was going to have to pay him back big time for saving his butt again!

Breaking the silence, Sonic cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's get this situation between you and Amy straightened out as much as we can. I want to know why she's been so happy, then so aggravated just as fast."

Eyeing Sonic warily, Knuckles nodded and gestured for him to head over. "Fine. I hope you've gone to the bathroom already because this is going to be a pret-ty long story…"

Smiling, Sonic zipped over to the sofa and plopped down with his legs crossed. "Welp, I'm waitin! Oh, should I get some popcorn first?"

-

"So…Shadow… Where were you headed earlier?" Rouge asked, glancing to the hedgehog in question as she made a turn.

Letting the bumps and jostles that the road supplied pass first, Shadow gazed to her and shrugged. "Nowhere really…"

"Uh-huh…"

"Sonic and Amy wanted me to try out some walkie-talkies that Amy wanted to sell and well…I was testing my distance."

"Uh huh, I see."

Hearing her bland and limited responses, Shadow frowned. "…Do you talk to Knuckles this way too…?"

The van stopped abruptly.

In the backseat, Akai and Amethyst exchanged bewildered stares as they ate.

Not saying a word for a few seconds as she gathered what he just said, Rouge turned to Shadow with flickering eyes.

"What…did you say…?"

Knowing he crossed the line, but accidentally, Shadow quickly apologized. "Sorry Rouge. I'm sorry. It's just…been a while since I've really had the chance to…actually hold a conversation of interest."

Silence.

Did he mean that or was he being sarcastic. Rouge wanted to know. Impatiently, she tapped her slender fingers on the steering wheel.

"That's funny, I don't believe you mean that."

Surprised, Shadow opened his mouth to respond, but Rouge rolled her eyes away from him and continued to keep her focus on the road.

Silence. It didn't take a genius to tell Shadow that he had offended her.

Even the children knew!

Eagerly, they anticipated who would speak next and looked expectantly between the two adults sitting in front of them.

And Shadow was the first to end the uncomfortable silence.

He sighed and let his eyes drift over the passing colors and landscapes they drove past. "…Sorry Rouge. I didn't mean to offend you…"

"I know…" she exhaled, keeping her attention on the road.

"It's just…we haven't talked in so long and…we're almost talking as if we just met the other…Wait…actually…"

"Well, technically we did, Shadow." Rouge spoke softly.

Taking the words right out of his mouth, Shadow smiled lightly and closed his eyes. "…Even so, we still have known each other longer than that. For years. And anyway..." he began, opening his eyes and stealing a smirking glance at her. "I doubt that you would ever give a complete stranger you cared nothing about a lift back to your place to talk."

Rouge blushed intensely as her foot pedaled the brake.

"Ahh mommy!" Amethyst whined.

"Watch the road, mommy!" Akai chimed in.

Rouge blinked and immediately glanced to them through the rear view mirror. "S-sorry you two! Now you know why I tell you to make sure you're wearing a seatbelt!"

"Yeah, even though Akai can slip out of his!" Amethyst tattled, which got a gasping protest from his brother.

"You stitch!" Akai retaliated.

"Uh, that's 'snitch', Akai" Rouge corrected with a smile.

Seeing them behave so playfully, both Shadow and Rouge chuckled to themselves. And in the comfort of the moment, their eyes met and this time, there wasn't any holding back. Shadow smiled genuinely to Rouge and she returned the same to him.

Enjoying their little moment, Shadow reluctantly had to remind her to keep her eyes on the road.

"I-I know what to do!" she flustered.

Shadow couldn't help but laugh as they cruised down the highway.

It wasn't much longer before Rouge had made it to her extravagantly sized house.

"Here we are…" she noted softly.

"Hmm" Shadow responded as he examined the downtrodden expression on her face.

Just what exactly happened here?

"Rouge… is something the—"

"I'll tell you when we get inside, allright?"

Shadow shrugged, then nodded. He couldn't argue with that. "Allright…"

"Good…" she agreed, a flicker of a faint smile across her lips.

Eyeing her intently for a moment, Shadow suddenly got the sinking feeling that whatever she had to say was truly heart-breaking.

-Mel


	7. The Drama

**The Babysitter Affair**

_Chapter 7_

-

Once the four of them entered the house, Akai and Amethyst were the first ones to cheer happily and chase the other up the steps. "Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg!" Akai proclaimed as he took off, cutting through the living room.

"Hey no fair, you cheated!!" Amethyst whined, quickly taking off after his brother.

Watching the two act as wild 2 year olds should, Shadow half-smiled and turned to Rouge. Instead of smiling, a small hint of pain flickered across her features.

But just as quickly as it arrived, it dissolved into a faint smile as if nothing had happened.

Concerned, Shadow stepped closer to her, his eyes lingering across her shoulders as if he could see the stress and weight she carried upon them.

"Rouge…" he called softly, touching her arm.

He felt her body react to the sudden contact and she flinched.

Choosing to ignore the loud rants and squeals of her two rambunctious sons from overwhelming her ears, Rouge slightly turned to her friend and tried to force a smile.

"I'm sorry…you still want to talk don't you…?"

Almost not believing the sudden child-like sounding question, Shadow casually blinked and nodded. "…That was the idea…"

Laughing lightly, Rouge turned away from him and proceeded to head up the steps to the Living Room. Scrutinizing her carefully, Shadow's eyes narrowed. So many years could change a person so much---Before she married that echidna, she was never this sporadic.

In the back of her mind, Rouge knew she was being watched, but pretended not to notice as she tossed her keys on a coffee table and briskly walked past a sofa.

"Say, Shadow? Could you give me a few minutes?"

Heading up the stairs, Shadow shrugged. "I haven't got anything else that I needed to do. I'm here for you, Rouge…"

Hearing this, eagerly Rouge turned to Shadow with a candid smile. "I knew you would understand me…! We'll talk in a little bit, allright? I'm gonna go hop in the shower and get some things off my mind."

Shadow smiled faintly. "Do whatever it is you need to, Rouge. I'll still be here."

"…Why didn't I marry you instead…!" Rouge chuckled jokingly to herself for only her ears to hear, but Shadow picked up on it and his attention darted back to hers.

"What did you say..?"

"Uhmm…" she faltered, biting her lip, "Hey! I said we'll talk later! Don't go changing the subject!"

Shadow's brows lowered, as did his eyes. "Uh huh…."

"I-in the meantime, why don't you get yourself familiar with the boys and after I get out the shower, then we can talk!" Rouge continued, poorly trying to cover up her embarrassment with carelessness. It wasn't working. Shadow could see straight through her—as always. "But…" Rouge added, "now that I know where Knuckles is, I get the feeling he won't be back for a while…"

Shadow smirked faintly at that.

The image of Amy talking the poor guy's ears off and her clinging to him to not let her go inched a smug smile across Shadow's lips. "Heh heh heh you couldn't be more right about that."

"Huh?" Rouge questioned, suddenly appearing sincere. "What was that for? Are you hiding something Shadow?"

Not wanting to lie to her, Shadow had to find another way to get his point across.

"…Let's just say, I hope he paid the gas bill before he ended up at Sonic's."

Rouge blinked. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?? " Then she giggled. "I still can't believe you LIVE with those two. Has Sonic annoyed you yet?"

"Why do you think I'm hardly ever there?" he half-lied. Yeah, Sonic annoying him was ONE of the reasons he stayed away from his place a lot, but it wasn't the main reason. That reason was standing right in front of him with a welcoming glint in her eyes and feathery smile dressed across her lips.

Because of his choice to leave her and nearly drop out of her life, Shadow became haunted with his own shame that he created. It took him this long to even bring himself to look at her the way he did years ago.

He almost couldn't believe he purposely let it go because of guilt and remorse. He let her go all because he was unable to settle his feelings…

Feeling a sudden uncomfortable lump in his throat, Shadow swallowed and his eyes aimlessly traveled down to her hand—her left hand.

Seeing the two extravagant rocks she wore atop those golden bands made him sick to his stomach.

Those embellishments that shouldn't even be there from the one that gave them to her. Rouge deserved better commitment and better in general than what she had.

Still laughing, Rouge's contentment had simmered down to a faint chuckle—until she saw Shadow's hands sudden curl into taut fists.

Feeling as if she did something wrong, she earnestly spoke out about it. "Shadow are you okay? Was it something I--?"

"You're fine Rouge…" 'In more ways than you realize…' he added mentally. "I just…need some time to myself to think, as do you…" he concluded, forcing a small smile.

Rouge could see straight through that façade and placed her hands on her haunches. "Right. Like I said, we'll talk later, but Shadow, don't ever think or feel that you have to lie to me. You of all people should know that!"

"I do know that, Rouge. You always had to tell me that… Remember?"

"And why do you think that is?! Anyway, give me a couple minutes okay Shadow? I'll be back."

He nodded and casually watched her every move. "Take as much time as you need. I'm not leaving until we can deal with your situation, Rouge."

Every fear and horrible feeling she ever had since the moment she stepped foot in her house melt away from those words, Rouge giggled happily and hugged Shadow genuinely. "Thanks Shadow…!!"

Shadow said nothing in reply, but 'hmphed' lightly as he eagerly but delicately hugged her back.

Her hair was just as soft as it was years ago, if not softer---and still carried the same intoxicating scent of fruit and flowers. Closing his eyes, he dwelled in the flowery scent for a moment, then began moving his arms from around her the second she started doing the same.

"You know…" she began, slightly pulling away, "I always thought you were too good to be true…"

This caught Shadow off guard, but instead of appearing as surprised as he felt, he played it coolly. Scoffing, Shadow playfully glared at her. "Then why didn't you marry me…"

Rouge blinked. He said it with such a straight tone, she couldn't tell if he were joking or not.

He wasn't.

"Uhm.."

"Just take your shower, Rouge. " he smirked, then plopped down on one of the sofas.

Watching him curiously, Rouge made a note to herself to keep a close watchful eye on him. "Yeah… be right back" she added and exited quickly down the hall.

Out the corner of his eye, Shadow watched her with an unknown emotion wavering within them.

Disregarding the thought of snooping around the house to get more information, Shadow shook his head and relaxed against the comforting cushions of the sofa.

He decided to give her the space she requested.

Trailing his gaze elsewhere towards the kitchen doorway, he caught glimpse of the top of the head of a very curious echidna child.

Chuckling to himself, he motioned for them both to come over. "It's allright. Come on over here."

"Aw crap he saw us!" Akai groused in a raspy whisper.

"Awww I'm gonna tell mooommyyy!" Amethyst teased.

"No don't tell!"

"I'll tell her if there's a problem, now come on over here." Shadow remarked, motioning for them to follow.

Hesitantly, Akai began to take a step then he stopped. "Why should we listen tuh you?"

"Cuz mommy said so that's why!" Amethyst reminded his brother.

"So? Daddy didn't say so."

"Daddy's not here! And mommy knows this person really goodly!" Amethyst protested in a cute voice.

'Really goodly'? Shadow couldn't help but chuckle and pushed himself up from the couch.

"That's right. Your mother and I have been very good friends for a long time."

Akai stepped back on the defensive. "How come she never talked about you?"

"Shhh cuz daddy was here!" Amethyst shushed.

"So what!"

Slightly annoyed with his brother, the violet and pink echidna sighed and walked up to Shadow.

"Hewwo. My name is Amafist. I'm 2 and uh half and this—" he continued, pointing towards his hot-headed sibling "that's my brother Akai. He's cwazy."

"I am not!" Akai boasted and stomped his way next to his brother in a huff.

"Hi I'm Akai. How do you do…." He muttered emotionlessly, adverting his eyes rudely.

Shadow watched the red puggle with mild surprise then he shook his head. Knuckles may not have physically been standing in the room, but part of his spirit was definitely inside of this "ecstatic" bundle of "joy".

It may have been years, but Shadow remembered very well how Knuckles was.

Placing that thought aside for now, Shadow smiled faintly at them. "...So…what do you boys like to do…?"

"Oooh ooh! Tuh eat!" Amethyst spoke up cheerfully, waving his hand in the air as if waiting to be called on.

Akai glanced at his brother, silently scowling at his enthusiasm in front of this stranger, then returned his eyes back to Shadow.

Shadow stared at him right back. "Well? Akai, I know there's something you like… What is it?"

A small frown played across Akai's mouth and he stepped upto Shadow. "…My daddy an' I wish he was here!" And with that, he pushed past Shadow and dropped on the sofa with his arms crossed.

Amethyst and Shadow both watched the child in awe, then exchanged glances.

"That's ok." Amethyst stated. "Akai always gets like this around stwanguhs"

Shadow chuckled and patted the small echidna on the head. " My name is Shadow, and I'm definitely no stranger. Anyway, would you like to play a game until your mother gets back?"

The boy's eyes lit up with instant enthusiasm. "YEAH!!"

It was cute, he was getting excited about a game he didn't even know what it was yet.

"I didn't even tell you what kind of game it is yet!" Shadow laughed. "Well, it's simple. All you have to do is…" he whispered in Amethyst's ear.

And as if he were killing two birds with one stone, Shadow glanced up over at Akai and noticed him staring intently at them.

Looks like his little plan was working.

It wasn't long before Akai's little voice rang out "Hey I wanna play too!"

Chuckling, Shadow glanced to Amethyst and the two of them shook their heads.

"No way, you left cuz daddy's not here! Now you want to play? That isn't fair!"

"This is my house and I can do as I pwease!" Akai boasted—stealing that line from his father from hearing it so much.

And Shadow picked that up immediately. Looking down at Amethyst, he shrugged. "Well, what do you want to do, Amethyst? Should we let him play?"

The smallish echidna put a hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully—just like In the movies.

"Weeelllllll"

"Plleeaaase?" Akai pleaded cutely, which was rare.

"Wellll okay!" Amethyst gave in.

Shadow blinked. "That's it? Oh well. Allright then. Well, now that both of you are playing now, this makes this game much easier. Now here's how you play…"

-

"_Can I talk to you…talk for two…_" Rouge sang lyrically to herself while basking in the steaminess of the shower. This was exactly what she needed to relax and get her mind off of earlier that morning. She knew Knuckles was upto something that he knew she wouldn't be too fond of when she found out. She knew he was upto no good a couple years after they got married. He had been going to see Sonic a lot more often around then and she wondered why.

"…_Let you know… I care for you…"_

For some reason, that song lingered in her mind the minute she stepped in the shower. Not that she was complaining, it had been years since she sang like this.

_"Stay strong…press on…"_

Every high note and pitch she executed beautifully. Why did she feel this way all of a sudden? Rouge had been so into her singing, she had almost forgotten she wasn't the only one in the house.

"Mommy's singin' again!!" She heard Akai shout from down the hall.

That boy…

The sole smile she carried across her lips soon began to fade. Everytime she thought of Akai or saw him, she also saw and thought of Knuckles. And although he was her husband and she felt for him, he was the last person she wanted to be thinking about while trying to relax right now.

At least Shadow was out there with the boys.

Shadow… She had to thank him for putting up with her and the boys. She knew they were a handful.

"…Shadow…"

They really needed to talk… Granted, he was there to help her, but for him to just show up in her life again like that after walking out on her wedding day?

In all honesty, she wanted Shadow to stay there. Not just to support her, but, she wanted to see if Shadow would ever be the one to say the very words she was too afraid to.

'I object!'

But it never happened. She saw him walk in those doors, and then leave out, so why didn't she stop him? She wanted to run to him—hug him closely while she shed her tears of bittersweet happiness.

Of course that only brought about that reoccurring question that bounded into her head ever so often.

'Why did you marry Knuckles?'

"… …"

Finishing up in the shower, Rouge turned off the faucets and grabbed her robe. Tying it tightly around her, she ran a hand through her drenched locks and opened the door.

--

Back over at Sonic's…

"Allright, I'm, listenin." Sonic confirmed, sitting on the couch next to Knuckles.

With Amy still unconsciously draped across his lap, Knuckles sighed and let his eyes glaze over her.

Taking note of his friend's hesitation, Sonic raised his brows in an inquisitive manner. "Hmm?"

Saying nothing for a few moments, Knuckles exhaled deeply then slowly shook his head. '...I guess I owe you an apology, Amy' he silently apologized and slipped his broad arms beneath her knees and under her back.

Sonic watched his friend with curious eyes as he stood to his feet with Amy cradled gingerly in his arms.

Before Sonic could utter a question, Knuckles turned slightly to him and cocked his head towards Amy's room upstairs. "I'm just going to take her up there so she won't have to hear any of this."

"Uh allright Knuckles. Is your story that scandalous to hear?" Sonic mused, the lazy attempt of him trying to make a joke clear in his voice.

Knuckles frowned and started heading upstairs. "No…but it's pretty damn close.

I'll tell you the whole story I promise!" he called over his shoulder.

Watching him go, Sonic's lips curved into a slight smile and he chuckled to himself.

Resting deeply in Knuckles' arms, Amy shifted a little as he took slow and steady steps up two flights of stairs. Her low breathing barely made a sound, even though she was breathing through her mouth.

Soon, Knuckles approached Amy's door and without making too much of a move, he gently slipped Amy over his shoulder and turned the knob.

Once inside, his eyes immediately wandered around the room—taking in all the sights and colors of her room that he had once etched into his brain. He knew where everything was, he could tell when something was moved, anything. Becoming enveloped in the nostalgia, Knuckles slowly closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Her room even smelled the same—a zesty blend of sweet peaches and oranges.

Releasing his breath, Knuckles smiled faintly and carried Amy over to her pink and red bed.

Laying her delicately on the velvety fabric, he gently moved her arms to her sides on the bed. Taking a step back, his eyes studied her intently as she slept and his smile flickered into something more.

Sitting next to her on the cool bedsheets, Knuckles lightly glid a mitt across her face and led it into her peppy bangs.

Even after all these years, she still insisted on keeping them wildly in her face.

He chuckled.

"…Amy…you're still crazy…and cute as ever…" he whispered, smiling broadly.

As if she could feel him caressing her, a faint curve tickled across her lips and her breathing relaxed even more.

"…Knuckles…" she murmured, still in her slumber.

Shocked that she spoke of him as she slept, Knuckles' violet eyes widened, but soon relaxed.

"Yeah…I still dream about you too sometimes. … I'm glad you like the boys, but, because I've gotten so attached to you is another reason why I chose to leave this town, Amy…" Knuckles spoke to her, as if she were wide awake and listening.

"…I never wanted it to turn out this way…but its for the better…Since I'm married to Rouge I've got to treat her like the wife she is to me…even if I can talk to you about anything…"

"Mmm…" was Amy's drowsy reply as she shifted her weight in her sleep to on her side.

A small smile crept across his lips as he beheld her and he sighed. "...But you know what… I just can't…let you go, Amy…"

--

The second Rouge stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes met directly with Shadow's, who was being held in an arm and head lock by the boys.

"Rouge…" he spoke without realizing and the second he did, the boys glanced her way, then quickly turned away.

"EWWWWWWWWWW MOMMY'S NAKED!" Akai shouted, covering his eyes.

"She is not! She's in her robe!!" The everso politically correct Amethyst corrected.

"She's still naked! Eww!" Akai continued on.

Blinking in utter shock and surprise at her children's "maturity" for 2 year olds, Rouge bit her lip and looked to Shadow to see what his response would be.

Instead of responding, he leaned down to whisper something in both boys' ears and right after, they gave him an odd look.

Smiling, Shadow nodded, and the boys stared at their mother then charged at her to see who could hug her first.

"I'm hugging mommy first!!" Akai shouted, nearly tackling Rouge.

"Ahhh Watch it Akai!!" she cried, spreading her wings to regain her balance. And of course, Amethyst was right behind his brother, throwing his arms around Rouge. "Mommy!!"

"Ahhh! Shadow help!" Rouge shrieked playfully. Laughing, Shadow casually walked over to them and pulled the boys off of her.

"Allright, that's enough! I think your mother knows how much you love her."

"That's right! Especially when one of you almost knocked me down!! Akai!!" Rouge grinned, pointing a finger at her son.

Playfully, the red puggle double blinked and pointed innocently to his nose. "Who me?"

"YES you! Now, it's getting late, so say goodnight to Mr. Shadow and get in bed!"

"Okay! 'Night Mistuh Shadow!" Amethyst chimed and gave him a small hug before heading down the steps to his room.

"Yeah, night." Akai waved and ran down the steps as well.

Shaking her head with her hands on her hips, Rouge couldn't believe how much those two had grown. Amethyst was respectful and just while Akai was-- well wild.

"Those two will probably never change…" Rouge sighed, looking to Shadow.

And if he didn't know any better, he could have sworn her eyes were smiling at him.

Just what was going on in that mind of hers?

"Well anyway, now that they're in bed, we can finally do what we came here to do…"

Shadow said nothing at first, but raised an eyebrow. "Did you really have to say it like that?"

"Did anyone ask for you to have your mind in the gutter, Shadow?" Rouge playfully retorted with a smirk.

"That was--!"

"Ah ah ahh Shadow!" she giggled with a wink and slipped a finger under his chin. "Got you" she whispered with a wink.

Utterly dumbfounded, Shadow couldn't believe at how brazen and flirtatious Rouge had become—even more than when they had first met. She had never been flirtatious around him before though…he thought she carried too much respect for him to do that.

See what a few years with someone could do to a person?

Oh well!

"…You do realize you're still wearing a robe, right?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I know. This is my house Shadow. I could walk around in the buff if I wanted."

"…You wouldn't dare…"

Rouge laughed. "Don't worry! I won't. But anyway, let's get this over with…" she trailed off, her tone suddenly losing its chipper sound. Sincerely, she looked up at Shadow and slid her arms around him in a gentle hug. "Thanks for staying here Shadow. You really didn't have to…"

"I know, Rouge…" he replied, raising a hand to brush through her hair, but hesitated a few times before finally doing it. "I'll stay with you as long as you need me to…"

This was exactly what Rouge needed to hear and her exuberant façade faded and truthful tears kissed her cheeks.

"I needed you, and you came to my rescue…again…" she murmured into his shoulder.

Gently pulling her away so he could understand the next words she spoke, Shadow looked at her. "…What did you say Rouge?"

Uncomfortable that he had heard her say something, Rouge slowly moved her head from side to side as if to write it off as nothing. "Just, thank you for being here Shadow. It really means a lot to me. ... I just want to be able to get some sleep tonight after what happened earlier today…"

Watching her appear so candid in front of him, Shadow realized the other reason he couldn't face her on her wedding day. The pure and honest looks and expressions she had once only shown to him, had been eagerly shown to another male--and he couldn't take that.

Lightly rubbing her shoulders, Shadow gave her a comforting squeeze then gently took her hand.

"Come on…let's go have this talk. I don't know what happened previously in this house, but I already know that it's caused you to cry enough… So let's get this over with so we don't see you shed anymore tears tonight…" Shadow reassured quietly, brushing at the glistening streaks her tears left behind.

Shutting her eyes to nuzzle into his embrace, Rouge cupped her hands over his and couldn't help but bear more warm tears from the sincerity of his affection.

"…I hope so…" she spoke in a wavering voice. "I can't stand to be a wreck right now."

"Neither can I…" Shadow mused with a smirk.

Smiling faintly, Rouge punched him in the arm playfully then hugged him again, tightly this time.

"Oh Shadow, I knew you would understand! Thank you! I've missed you so much!"

"Yeah… I know Rouge…we can talk about that too. But could we do it soon? I'm starting to get tired." He declared with a yawn.

"Haha, yeah… come on…" she continued, taking him by the hand and leading him down the hall to the master bedroom.

--

"What is he doing up there?" Sonic pondered, while standing in the kitchen. He had treated himself to some refreshing Kool-Aid while he waited for Knuckles to come back downstairs. Quickly becoming restless, Sonic's thoughts traveled elsewhere as his eyes fell on the phone near the kitchen table.

Cognitively, he reminded himself to contact both Rouge and Shadow later.

Why where they together in the first place? Did Shadow regret what happened 4 years ago that much?

Half-smiling, Sonic shook his head. "There's been too much drama going on…!"

Heading out of the kitchen with a quart-sized pitcher of kool-aid in hand, Sonic trailed his eyes upto the stairs and was about to head up them, when he heard Knuckles' heavy footsteps bounding down them.

Seeing Sonic standing there waiting for him, Knuckles paused mid-step and stared at him. "Is it **that** serious, Sonic?"

The hedgehog nodded. "You bet it is! So…tell me...oh kool-aid?" he asked, offering the pitcher to Knuckles, but the older male curled his lip in disgust at the gesture and pushed the pitcher away.

"I know you drank out of it already, so why would you even ask me?!"

Sonic exuberantly shrugged. "Because I could always make more? Anyway, I usually don't act like I know about these things around here, but Amy's been on an emotional roller coaster since she saw you a couple weeks ago. At first she seemed extremely happy—her face was always lit up and she carried this amazing smile all the time… But then, a few nights ago, she came down here moping and constantly asking for you. So, I wanna know, what did you do to her man…?"

Knuckles sighed. The big question finally hit home.

Feeling as if all the weight from his relationships with Amy and Rouge slam back down on his shoulders, Knuckles growled in annoyance and ran a mitt through his dreads.

"…Listen…" he began in a deep voice that almost sounded regretful, "Amy and I…have been talking, but nothing serious, you know? We've just become really close friends."

Sonic's expression quickly formed into pure disgust at those words, but he allowed Knuckles to continue.

"The thing is, Rouge and I…aren't doing very well…and haven't been since the day we got married actually. She's tried to keep that from me, but I can see right through it—all the fake smiles she's given me and lied to my face about her wanting to start a family with me. Nothing but bull…"

Hearing this, a wave of understanding drifted over Sonic's features. The dramatic pieces of the puzzle were finally beginning to form together.

"So why didn't you…you know…?"

"Sign for a divorce? No. Rouge and I can work this out. I KNOW she feels something for me. And no matter how miniscule that feeling may be, I'd be damned if I let any chances to improve our relationship pass right by me. She's my wife, I want to keep it that way."

"Uh huh…" Sonic nodded, listening intently. "Wow, that's a pretty bold statement, Knuckles."

"It had better be! I'm a married man with children! I had BETTER sound BOLD!" he grinned.

"Haha, yeah you're right. So…how does any of that tie in with Amy?"

Knuckles narrowed his eyes at Sonic jokingly. "You never give up, do you..."

"Nope! Especially when the cause of all this drama is standing right in front of me in my own house! …You're gonna have to start helping me pay the mortgage, if you don't hurry up and tell me!"

"Allright allright! Damn. Four years didn't give you much, did it?"

"Obviously not. Doesn't bother me." Sonic smirked and took a swig of his kool-aid.

Watching him, Knuckles raised a brow and made a face. "…Right… Anyway, with Amy…last night, we were on the phone and I told her that Rouge and I had talked about moving… Needless to say she didn't take that very well."

"I know…" Sonic replied, wiping his mouth with a finger.

"You do? What she told you?"

Sonic shook his head. "No…And frankly, she didn't have to. I could see it all over her face earlier. She was devastated… She could barely answer a simple question!"

"Damn…"

"Yeah, exactly! So what are you going to do? …I really wouldn't want to see Amy so upset all the time…especially with you being the cause of that." Sonic groused with a hint of repugnance to his voice.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. Was Sonic actually showing that he cared? It seems as if he actually developed some feelings for her.

Well, it was about time!

Chuckling inwardly, Knuckles kept that little tidbit to himself and strolled over to the couch.

Exhaustion finally wrought its toll on him and he dropped into the cushions of the fabric.

"Ahhhh! Man! What time is it?" Knuckles asked, folding his arms behind his head.

Luckily for him, by doing so, he missed the baleful expression flickering across Sonic's face.

The reason Amy had been acting so strangely was because of Knuckles…and he was taking the situation lightly like this?!

Sonic's eyes narrowed at his friend for a moment, then he casually redirected his vision to one of the clocks on the wall. "It's half past 11. You wanna call it a night and stay here for a while?" he asked, mentally kicking himself for doing so.

Such are the habits of being a good host. Then again, he could study the behavior between Knuckles and Amy a lot closer to understand what was really going on between them that way.

Glancing up at the clock himself, then getting comfortable on the couch, Knuckles chuckled. "Yeah, sure why not. Haven't got anything else to do right now or tomorrow."

"What? Don't you have a job to goto?"

"Nope!" Knuckles grinned.

"What! What'd you do get fired?"

Looking up at the exasperated hedgehog casually through one eye, Knuckles frowned. "I quit."

"What! The heck you do that for?!" Sonic demanded, heading over to the couch and sitting down. "You didn't tell Rouge, did you?"

"Hmph. I did…and she damn near neutered me for it!" he reflected with an unsettling grimace.

"Wait…" Sonic started, setting the pitcher down on the carpet. "I gotta set my kool-aid aside for this. Did you tell her you actually quit or that you got fired?"

Knuckles sighed. "I told her…that I was fired, so she would at least be a little sympathetic and show some care and concern for once! But no. She thought I was ch—" He had to stop himself. He didn't know how Sonic would react to being told that Rouge thought that he was cheating on her. With him being over to visit Amy so much, Sonic would have put to and two together and accused Knuckles of the same thing Rouge did.

But Knuckles wasn't cheating—he just got a little side-tracked. His own wife refused to get to know him better when he tried his hardest to please her and be there for her, so he looked elsewhere and that's when Amy came along…

It didn't take much for the two to start talking right off the bat about their lives—both dealing with loves that never returned their feelings the way they wanted them to.

And if he remembered correctly, one of the times he came over to visit, Sonic wasn't home and he and Amy had a long talk—even tickled the other. But nothing went any further than that.

Both of them were curious about going further, but neither had the courage to voice that curiosity.

Also on that day, Knuckles remembered telling Amy about Rouge wanting a baby girl and how life was at the house with two infants when the kids weren't being babysat. Amy began to sympathize even though she had no children of her own and said she'd make something for him to help he and Rouge out.

Soon after, he fell into a light sleep on the couch downstairs. Half awake, he heard her come down the steps and felt something being placed in his hair. He would have protested, but his mind had drifted off into a deeper sleep.

Remembering all of that now, Knuckles realized how much in common he and Amy really had. And what about what she told him earlier about him making the wrong choice? Everyone made mistakes, right?

"I just don't understand it…" Knuckles murmured to himself.

"I'll say!" Sonic agreed, grabbing up his pitcher and taking a swig from it. "I've been watching you stare off into space for almost a whole minute!

"Well who told you to wait?!"

Shaking his head, Sonic chuckled and turned out the light in the living room. "Goodnight, man."

"Yeah…" Knuckles half-frowned. "Goodnight…"

--

Back at Rouge's, she and Shadow were still engaged in their talk about her encounter with Knuckles earlier that day. But Rouge had become very sleepy within the few hours that they talked and wanted to change clothes for bed.

"It's not a problem, I'll just wait for you." Shadow offered, getting up from her bed and walking over to her door.

"Oh, hey Shadow?"

"Yes?" he asked with a suave tone in his voice as he turned to face her.

Biting her lip, she tried to choose the right words to ask. "If it isn't too much trouble, could you help me find a new sitter for the boys? Since Knuckles is out of work and 'missing in action', I'll have to do all the dirty work around here again…"

All the dirty work? New sitter?

Hearing this sparked an idea in Shadow's mind and a dashing smile played across his lips with the likes Rouge had never seen before.

'…He's handsome…' she thought, watching him closely as he walked over to her.

"Don't worry Rouge, I'll help you. But we can talk more about that tomorrow. But for now, I'll take care of the boys for you, allright?"

She could hardly believe what she just heard. Shadow was offering to step in to be the boys' babysitter? Just like that?

"Do you mean that Shadow?"

Nodding, he smiled warmly to her. "Absolutely. I told you that I would help you in any way that I could, Rouge. So finding a babysitter is one less thing for you to concern yourself about. now."

Beaming broadly at her friend, Rouge reached up and threw her arms around his neck. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Shadow!"

Chuckling, he hugged her back and looked her in the eyes. "Oh…I do."

Blushing lightly, Rouge laughed a little and tilted her head to the side in thought. "You know, it's funny… Whenever I'm out looking for something…I always end up finding you…"

"Yeah…ironic isn't it?"

"Maybe a bit too ironic. Maybe it's a sign…?"

"A sign of what?"

Rouge pouted playfully at his answer and pushed him out the door. "Get out already and let me change!"

"Allright allright! It's not like you gave me much choice!" Shadow joked and waited patiently outside her closed door while she changed into her pajamas. It crossed his mind that she would try something, but then he perished the thought.

Seconds later, she opened her door and whispered for him to come in.

Stepping inside, the first thing Shadow noticed was the lamp on her nightstand dimly lit.

Then his eyes trailed over to the bed and found it to be very intricately decorated and made up. But the thought of her and Knuckles making love on that bed seeped into his mind and he shuddered uncomfortably.

And Rouge noticed. "Shadow?"

"Yeah...?" he asked almost immediately.

"Where did you want to sleep?"

"Is the couch okay?"

Rouge bit her lip thoughtfully and shook her head. "Not a good choice…!"

"Somewhere on the floor?"

"That's not a good one either…!"

What could be so wrong with sleeping on the floor or the couch?

Shadow parted his lips to speak, but them withheld his words as he thought for a moment. Then the answer hit him square in the face.

Since this was Knuckles' house too, and the two of them already seemed 'in their prime', then exactly what portion of the house hadn't been claimed to possibly relieve their sexual tension? He had to ask.

"…Rouge…I hate to ask but… what place in this house HAVEN'T you and …Knuckles..." he shuddered as he voiced that name, "been…intimate…on…?"

Rouge exhaled loudly and ran her hand through her hair as an attempt to mask her discomfort.

"Well, …that doesn't leave very many choices."

He cringed. "In addition to the floor and the couch being out, what else are?"

The moment those words left his lips, he was left feeling stinging regret for each one of them once he heard her answer.

"…The kitchen, the dining room, the hallway, the walls, the Master Emerald is definitely out, up against the front door, the bathroom, the bathtub, the ceiling…"

"The ceiling?! Okay stop…just….stop! I can't stand to imagine any of this anymore!" Shadow cried, slapping a hand across his forehead and rubbing his temples.

"How about the kids' room…wait don't answer that. PLEASE don't answer that… uh.." he spun around, and noticed there was a closet behind him.

Looking back at her with an almost desperate expression of finding SOMEPLACE to sleep for the night, Shadow stepped over to her and took her by the hand.

"Please tell me, you didn't…copulate in there…Please…"

"Well uh…no, we..."

"Good enough answer for me!" Shadow decided and quickly became nestled in the comfort of the piles of silky fabrics stuffed in the closet.

Watching him get himself comfortable, Rouge couldn't help but laugh and turned off the light. Getting situated in her bed, she pulled the covers upto her shoulders and nuzzled deeper into them.

"Mmmm goodnight Shadow…Thanks for listening to me."

There was the sound of constant movement from the closet as Shadow changed his position and laid on his back. Actually, he did that just so he could watch her.

"You're welcome Rouge." He whispered. Then his eyes narrowed. He wanted to continue to watch her while she slept, but he didn't want to invade her privacy in the process. Letting a few minutes go by, Shadow leaned forward and lightly grabbed the knob on the closet door. Slowly, he began to pull it shut when a faint sound made him pause.

Listening intently, he heard it again…the soft whisper of his name in Rouge's sleep.

Needless to say he was flattered, but what else could that mean?

Smiling faintly to himself, he let the thought of possibilities run through his mind before he placed them aside.

"…Goodnight, Rouge." Was the last few words he whispered before closing the closet door and drifting off to sleep.

----

--The song that Rouge was singing in the shower was "I Care for You" by Aaliyah

--Shadow's 'joke' about Knuckles paying the gas bill before he left was a bad attempt at saying Knuckles had have better taken care of his manly responsibilities in his house before he ran off to be with Amy.

-Compared to the rest of the main chars in this story, Amy is still considered a minor. If she wasn't, who knows what could have become of her and Knuckles.

-A puggle is a baby echidna (thanx to Akari for that)

-Mel


	8. The Morning After

**The Babysitter Affair: _Chapter 8_**

Within Amy's darkened room, a single slither of moonlight spilled through her window and rolled delicately over her lithe form. As her body turned towards the source of the light, a soft melody floated from her lips.

Softly and slowly, the lyric grew from being just a whisper, until it was the solitary sound in the room.

Floating around her features and encircling her pillow like a harmonious halo, her words and her song colorfully dashed the room with a warm glow.

And as beautifully as it had risen to an audible level, it spiraled lightly back to her tender lips and returned to being nothing more than a faint whisper.

Soon, her body changed positions again and she ended up on her back.

And as if someone dear to her had whispered gently in her ear for her to awaken, her eyes gingerly opened.

Her lids drowsily remaining half opened and half closed, Amy allowed her vision to wander off into space for a few passing seconds before trailing them over to her ivory lit window.

Frowning slightly, she held a hand over her eyes and pushed herself up from her bed. "I thought I closed those shades a few days ago…" she murmured, sliding her legs over the edge of the mattress. Sighing, she glanced over at her clock on the nightstand. It's dim red numbers read :3:15 AM.

Rubbing her eyes, she slowly tried to stand to her feet but the moment, she did, she found herself dropping right back down onto the sheets.

Holding her head, she closed her eyes and tried to ward off the tempestuous headache that was creeping up on her.

"Ugh what's wrong with me…" she mumbled incoherently, trying to remember.

Her mind was a cloudy mesh of bits and pieces of thoughts, but as far back as she could remember was being on Sonic's couch talking to Knuckles.

She remembered drinking something that calmed her down, talking to Knuckles, then after that---nothing.

Since it hurt too much to even attempt to remember anymore than that, Amy groaned and massaged her temples. But that wasn't helping.

Sighing dejectedly, she forced herself upto her feet.

She needed something to ease this headache and she needed it fast. Didn't Sonic always keep doubles of each kind of medicine and safety stuff he had?

"He should have some aspirin or something behind the mirror…" she spoke reassuringly to herself.

Steadying her balance enough to get her wobbly feet to the door, she leaned against its frame for a few seconds to collect herself.

Taking a deep and long breath, Amy forced herself away from the support of the door frame and carefully tried to head to the bathroom downstairs.

The hallway was darkened and that didn't help matters much at all.

Unstably stumbling down the hall and bumping into walls as she passed them, Amy almost began to regret her decision and thought of going back.

Turning to look behind her, once she realized she couldn't see a thing in front of her face from the way she came, she made herself rule that option out and kept on going.

Passing what she thought was Sonic's room, she felt around for the banister on the stairwell. Once she found it, she grinned to herself and slowly made her way downstairs.

Going past Shadow's room, she finally recognized the bathroom from a slither of its light showing clearly under the door.

"That Sonic…he left the light on again…!" she silently scolded the hedgehog. She had told him time and time again to turn off everything once he was finished with it, but even though he probably forgot, she was glad he did!

Placing her clammy hands over the knob, it took almost half the strength she could muster to get the door open.

And when she did, she had to immediately close her eyes as the shock from the light didn't give her enough time to adjust to the sudden change in contrast.

Once she managed to get one eye open, she fumbled around in the cabinet behind the mirror and grabbed every aspirin bottle, ibuprofen bottle and Midol bottle she could find and trudged out the door to go down yet another flight of stairs.

Once she reluctantly made it to the bottom, she padded through the living room, passing Knuckles, and going straight into the kitchen.

A few minutes passed until she was finally able to get a decent sized glass of water and she downed two sets of each type of medicine she brought with her.

Pouring out the rest of the water when she was done, she put the glass in the sink and dragged her feet out into the darkened living room again.

Starting to pass Knuckles for the second time, she suddenly lost feeling in her legs and collapsed to the carpet knees first, then flat on her face.

Too weak to push herself back up for the moment, Amy gave up and silently laid there.

Unknown to her, Knuckles was sleeping soundly on the couch only a few mere feet away from her.

But neither one of them would find out until someone woke up…

Moments later, the floor began to rumble as Knuckles started snoring.

Lost in a deep sleep within the seconds she collapsed, Amy's body unconsciously started to move.

Aimlessly, her body began to wobble unsteadily towards the source of the sound. Seeming as if she were a puppet on a string, a limp hand went up and slapped down over Knuckles' muzzle.

"…snortzibibble.." her mouth incoherently spoke, but in actuality, that was sleepy talk for "Stop snoring". Her mouth was just faster than her understanding at that point. She was sleep-walking after all!

But her actions only made his snoring louder, so her hand clasped over his nose…

Minutes passed…

Coughing and hacking in a fit moments later, Knuckles angrily woke up and started swinging.

Miraculously Amy managed to avoid being hit by every punch.

Her body swayed backwards, then forwards and finally fell sideways—falling directly on him and making a sound as she did.

For a second, Knuckles was bout to leap off the couch, until he heard something that sounded a lot like Amy and scooped her up in his arms.

Holding her close to him as if she was a delicately crafted doll, Knuckles swore continuously, wondering how she got down there and why. Glancing to the stairs, he thought of taking her back to her room—but nah, he didn't feel like it.

Looking to the floor to lay her there crossed his mind, but that wouldn't be right. His eyes traveled upto the coffee table and he almost agreed to that idea, but then decided against it. Having Amy sleep on a coffee table would be too unladylike—and it sounded extremely kinky to him.

So what else could he do?

Growling in defeat, he eyed her dozing form and with that proving to be some type of remedy, all his anger and frustration melted away.

Chuckling lightly to himself, he shook his head, muttering about how cute she was, and draped her over his body.

Secretly watching her as she snuggled closer to him and fell into an even deeper sleep, Knuckles smiled and brushed her bouncy bangs out of her face, knowing they'd come right back.

Snickering to himself, he whispered goodnight to her and slipped an arm under his head before sleep claimed him once again.

-

The next morning came shining broadly through Rouge's window. Countless chirps and chipper songs from the birds carried on outside, forcing her to cover her ears in the sheets and wriggle deeper into them.

"Must they do this every morning?!" she grumbled, and yanked the sheets from over her head.

Exhaling in annoyance, Rouge was about to push herself up out of bed when the distinct aroma of something cooking wavered under her nose. Taking it in quickly, then getting a good long whiff of the delectable scent the second time around, Rouge licked her lips and threw the covers off of her.

Glancing to the closet to check for Shadow, she was surprised to find the door open, but he wasn't there.

The thought of him cooking breakfast ran through her mind, but she denied it each time it kept coming back.

"He can't be…he just can't be!" she repeated, straightening out her pajamas and eagerly heading down the hall.

She was still trying to deny it but the closer she got to the kitchen, the stronger that delicious aroma got!

As if being weightlessly led by the scent, Rouge sauntered into the kitchen and stood in one of its doorways in a gape.

The scene that was set before her was something she could only DREAM of.

A man was in HER kitchen, COOKING. The food looked good too and it smelled amazing!

Alarmed as she was amazed, it took a full 5 seconds for Rouge to finally come to her senses and think straight!

"Shadow???" she asked unsurely.

Chuckling to himself that she finally said something, Shadow turned casually to her with a large porcelain dish in his hand. "Oh good morning Rouge. How long have you been standing there?" he smirked.

"Wha-! Long enough!! What are you doing??" she inquired with a huge smile on her face. She just couldn't believe it!

Chuckling, Shadow set the dish down and grabbed a nearby roll of paper towels to wipe his hands off with.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm making your family breakfast."

"But--!" Rouge started, flabbergasted and too shocked for decent words. "I...wow, I almost forgot you could cook. But this is just too much…!"

"Oh it is? Then I guess I'll just have to clean all this up..."

"NO! Don't you dare clean that food up!" she cried, rushing over to him and grabbing him by the arms.

Shadow had to laugh. "Relax, Rouge you're in luck. Breakfast is ready."

"Really? Great!!" she chirped, her eyes starting to glisten. Humming to herself, she happily started to stick her finger in one of the tasty dishes before her when Shadow stopped her.

In awe and confusion, her large green eyes searched his for an answer. "What? I thought you said—"

"I did, but those are for me and the boys." He stated with a sly smirk.

Finding his tone and attitude very alluring, Rouge raised an eyebrow and stepped back.

"Hmm allright! Then what exactly in my kitchen did you prepare for me?" she asked, the slight hint of charm to her voice.

Laughing lightly, Shadow held up a finger, gesturing for her to wait, as he turned behind him and presented her with large plate that had an aluminum dome over it.

It looked like those kinds of dishes that are a must-have staple at all those fancy-schmancy restaurants.

"Wow I never knew I had any of those in this house!" Rouge giggled as she eagerly took the meal from Shadow.

As she lifted its lid, Shadow's ears immediately folded back from the loud ecstatic shriek Rouge gave.

Pancakes!! The plate was stacked with fluffy and beautiful looking pancakes. And not only that! There was a generous amount of fresh strawberries strewn across the top.

No butter, no syrup just fruit, even with a little bit of sugar sprinkled throughout!

She loved her pancakes like this! And Shadow actually remembered?!

"And before you ask, yes I remembered, Rouge." Shadow smiled, waving to her with a spatula.

"You actually did remember!!!" she cried, her eyes still glued to the delectable meal in her hands.

Laughing as he cleaned off the counters he used, Shadow glanced to her and pointed to the freezer.

"You might want to check in there, too."

"Huh? You mean there's more?"

Instead of giving a verbal reply, he just pointed to the freezer again, a small smirk occupying his face. It almost seemed as if he was anticipating the genuine reaction she'd give when she saw what was in there for her…

Blinking, Rouge gently set down her plate of food the table in the kitchen delicately as if it was a bowl full of diamonds and slowly opened the freezer.

"You've already surprised me once this morning, Shadow. Just what else could you do to…OHH!!!" she gasped sharply, and again Shadow's ears were at her mercy.

"Shadow…you … DIDN'T!!" she declared, turning slowly to him with a huge and greedy grin on her face.

"I did…" Shadow smiled, finishing up his cleaning, "It's not too much for you is… it…?" he trailed off, turning to find her scarfing down the banana split by the mouthful.

Blinking in surprise, as well as enticement, Shadow laughed and shook his head. "I didn't act fast enough…!" he muttered to himself, then a thought came to him.

Where'd she get the spoon from so fast?

As Shadow began to set the table, the sound of tiny feet bounding up the stairs was heard.

"What's dat??" Akai wondered eagerly, sniffing the air and looking around.

"It smells like food!" Amethyst exclaimed, mimicking his brother and also sniffing the air. Rouge couldn't help but laugh at her sons as she finished up her frozen treat and placed the bowl in the sink.

"Smells nice doesn't it?" she asked, coming out the side door of the kitchen with her hands on her hips.

Glancing to her, Amethyst nodded enthusiastically while Akai ignored her and continued sniffing.

"Hmmm" Rouge half-frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Anyway, breakfast will be ready in a little bit. Why don't you two help Mr. Shadow finish setting the table?"

"Okay! Amethyst exclaimed cheerfully and ran up the steps, almost falling twice and gave his mother a hug.

Smiling warmly, Rouge peered down at him and stroked the top of his head tenderly before hugging him back. "Thank you, Amethyst."

"Love you mommy" he smiled brightly, then rushed to go help Shadow in the dining room.

Akai on the other hand looked to his mother strangely.

Uncomfortable from the looks her son was giving her, Rouge covered it up with a stern maternal gaze.

Akai knew that whenever his mother did that, he had better straighten up quick before he got it! Walking over to Rouge, he lightly encircled his tiny arms around her calf but kept his gaze to the floor. "Love you too mommy…" he stated rather emotionlessly.

Concerned that her son was acting a lot more dispassionate than usual, Rouge leaned down and Akai instinctively looked upto her intently.

"Yes?" he asked in a small voice.

"…What's the matter Akai? Are you sick?"

The fiery echidna shook his head, his dreads almost smacking him in the face. "No I just…" he hesitated, adverting his eyes for a moment, then returned them widely to his mother's. "When's daddy coming back? I miss him." He spoke honestly.

Feeling his words dig deeply within her, Rouge hesitated for a moment and tried to come up with a decent enough answer for a two year old could comprehend. "…Daddy…has gone on a trip, Akai. I don't know how long he'll be away, but you know he can't stay away from you and your brother for too long." Rouge reassured. She paused as she thought over what she said and wondered just how fast Knuckles actually would come back.

But the growing smile on her son's face told her that she had said the one thing to him that made all the difference in the world.

"Really? You mean it, mommy??" he asked, enthusiastically tugging at her garment.

Saying nothing in response at first, Rouge eyed her son, then sunk to her knees and hugged him.

"Yes, Akai…I mean it…" she confirmed in a low and soft voice. Part of her wanted her husband to come back while another wanted him to stay away from her and the boys. It was bad enough they both practically looked like him—and already Akai was this attached to his father.

When things were better for the 4 of them, Akai would always happily run to Knuckles and hugged him. Then Knuckles would always pick him up and toss him playfully into the air and catch him. And as usual, not long after Amethyst saw his brother having so much fun, he'd go over to Knuckles as well. The tree of them would have some of the best times of their lives when they were together.

They appeared so inseparable…

But what about her? What was she doing during all this?

Watching from a distance…her eyes wavering with envy.

Those moments burned into her soul each time she thought back on them. They still felt fresh as if they happened just a few hours ago.

But this was silly…getting all worked up over something like that. Both of her children loved her. Akai just had problems showing it.

Yeah, that was it.

Bringing herself out of her thoughts, Rouge smiled briefly at Akai to encourage him and sent him off to the table.

At breakfast, the four of them were enjoying a rather delicious meal. Shadow had cooked sausage links, eggs with hash browns on top and waffles for both boys. He wasn't sure if they liked eggs or sausage, but from the looks on their faces as they happily scarfed down the food reassured him of otherwise. For himself, he made turkey sausage, steamed apples with cinnamon and sugar and waffles. He wasn't a fan of eggs or certain kinds of meat, but turkey suited him just fine. Quietly, he glanced over to Rouge who sat at the end of one side of the table next to Amethyst. With Shadow sitting at the every end of the table between the two excited boys, Rouge's silence was the most appealing.

And she stuck out like a sore thumb at that.

He watched her slowly pop a forkful of pancakes into her mouth, then aimlessly twirl the fork around on the plate as if she were deep in thought.

Catching this right away, Shadow cleared his throat and spoke in a soft tone, but was loud enough to be heard over the ecstatic puggles.

"Are you full?" he asked, knowing full well that wasn't what he wanted to ask, but it was just enough to get her attention.

Rouge gazed over to the dark and crimson hedgehog with a glossed glaze wavering in her irises. When Shadow's expression changed to honest concern, Rouge quickly recomposed herself and appeared cheerful.

"Yeah Shadow? Oh...No, I'm just…not very hungry…" she trailed off, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

"Hmmm" Shadow voiced with narrowed eyes. Instead of getting to the core of the issue, he decided to keep their dialogue light for now.

Smiling faintly, he playfully mouthed. "Ate too much of that banana spilt, didn't you?"

Unable to hold back a broad smile at his message, Rouge meekly adverted her eyes and shook her head.

"No… what are you trying to say Shadow??" she mouthed back.

To this Shadow shrugged. "Maybe you should slow down…" he spoke aloud.

Every activity at the table ceased for a good few seconds after that and the boys exchanged looks with first themselves, then between the two adults before them.

Even Rouge had to think about what he said and let it process first. She could have taken that in so many ways, but she wondered…what way did he mean it in?

As if he could hear her wandering thoughts, Shadow waved the situation away.

Sensing that all was well for now, the boys went back to eating and talking with their mouths full.

"Don't eat with your mouth full, Akai. You know better." Rouge lightly scolded instinctively without thought.

The smallish echidna pouted in protest. "But I wasn—"

"Don't do it!" she retaliated sternly.

She sounded so alarming that even Amethyst had to inch back in his seat.

"You're really loud mommy…" he uttered, which earned a wild glare from Rouge.

But then her features softened. "Yeah I am. Sorry hun."

Smiling from feeling like 'mommy's favorite' right now, Amethyst looked to his brother and made mocking little faces at him.

Hating being teased by his 'younger' brother, Akai scooped a piece of the egg onto his fork and prepared to launch it at Amethyst when a gust of wind rushed past him.

Hesitant to find out what it was, Akai glanced to Amethyst, who had his eyes glued upwards on something behind his brother.

Cringing, Akai looked to Shadow, who gave him a rather sympathetic look, then went back to eating. Feeling trapped, Akai took his chances and slowly turned around.

And there was Rouge, with her hands placed firmly on her hips. Leaning over, she got right in Akai's face and raised a hand as if she were going to strike him.

"…You launch that food across my table and I will _slap_ the bright _red_ off you." she warned in a low tone.

That straightened Akai right up!

Faster than lightening, he about faced and returned to eating as if nothing had happened.

Sighing in contentment that she could still set her son straight even if he ignored her when it came to other matters, Rouge began heading back to her seat. But as she passed Shadow, he placed a hand on her wrist and motioned for her to bend down.

Doing so, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "If it's not too much, I'd like to speak with you after our meal."

Blinking in shock and surprise about what he may want to talk to her about, a brief warmth traveled to Rouge's face and she nodded.

Giving Shadow a friendly smile, and hoping he couldn't see her blushing, she briskly went back to her seat and began eating.

Shadow watched her discreetly and was pleased to see her eating properly.

She had been under so much stress lately, for once in his life, he was actually thankful to be around to help. If she hadn't been so caring and still considered herself as his best friend, Shadow wasn't sure what he would be doing or if he'd still be alive.

For once he was grateful—truly grateful. But he knew he couldn't stay this close in her life as long as he may have liked to. She still had a husband and from the looks of things, she wasn't planning on giving him up so easily—despite the obvious lack of her happiness.

So, Shadow took it upon himself to do what he could for her—until she told him to stop.

But after all was said and done, what would be the aftermath for him?

That still remained a mystery. But in the back of his mind, he had a feeling he'd find out sooner or later.

Easing out of his thoughts, Shadow's eyes trailed over to Akai's plate as he eagerly continued to consume his meal.

"Hey Amafist, guess what!"

"What?"

"I got the biggest sausage!" Akai proudly announced, holding up the item on the end of his fork.

Seeing this as a challenge, Amethyst searched through his neat assortment of sausage links and held up the biggest one he had on the end of his fork as well.

"Nuh-uh! I have da biggest sausage!"

Watching them go back and forth so childishly, Rouge giggled and sighed, but her attention suddenly perked up when Shadow added to their debate.

"No…Actually, I have the biggest sausage." He stated calmly and began to take a swig from the glass of juice next to him when Rouge stared at him with wide eyes.

Glancing to her innocently, he suddenly understood why she was staring and blushed wildly. "W-well, it's true…" he hesitated.

Her mouth in a gape, Rouge glanced downward, then at his plate. Was he being slick or honest?

Without saying a word, Shadow pointed to the remaining food on his plate and Rouge exhaled in relief, and disappointment.

Did he say that on purpose?

Judging by the bright blush on his face, Rouge figured it was just an honest mistake, but she could have sworn she saw him smirking.

Glancing to her, he grinned lightly, knowing Rouge would look his way.

"Sorry…"

"Oh don't apologize to me!" Rouge smiled, taking a few sips from her glass, obviously intrigued.

"Hmmm I wonder…" she thought, then brushed it aside when the idea of having another kid ran rampant in her mind.

She already had two wild and crazy boys. If she had another child, one more was about all she could take!

Another child, huh? She wondered about that and by doing so her mind reflected back to earlier the other day when she found that band in her husband's dreads.

He said it was a good luck charm so that they'd have a girl. Sure she always wanted a little girl but—

Her thoughts now dissected, Rouge rubbed her temples and groaned lowly in disgust.

"…Why did it have to be like this…" she uttered, secretly hoping Knuckles would come back so they could talk about everything.

But who knew how long he'd be over at Sonic's and in addition to that, who knew when he'd get off his butt and get a better paying job?

Sighing, the realization of having to go out and do the dirty work herself slipped back into her mind, but this time she was ready for it.

Glancing up at Shadow, who was finishing up his breakfast, a small smile crept across her lips.

'Shadow's with me now. I can do anything with his help. Just like old times.'

Also finishing his food, Amethyst looked up towards his mother out of favor, and followed her eyes to Shadow. Puzzled of what her dazed expression meant, Amethyst spoke up. "Mr. Shadow?"

"Yes?" Shadow answered, picking up his plate and excusing himself from the table.

As the hedgehog walked by his seat, Amethyst turned around in his chair. "Do you like mommy?"

Nearly slipping on the kitchen floor, Shadow spun on his heels and stared aghast at the little one.

Bewildered, his eyes nervously fleeted around and eventually fell on Rouge, who appeared rather interested in what his answer was.

But since he was taking too long, she answered for him. "Of course he does, but only as a friend, right Shadow?"

"Uh…whatever your mother says.", he stated evenly, obviously uncomfortable by the subject.

Realizing this, Rouge turned her attention back to the boys and urged them to hurry up and finish.

Once the table was cleared and the boys ran off to play-wrestle with the other in the living room, Rouge padded into the kitchen and joined Shadow at the sink.

Glancing down into the sink at him hand washing the dishes instead of using the dishwasher, Rouge half-smiled and nudged him with her elbow.

"Hey…you allright?"

Saying nothing at first, Shadow glanced at her and nodded.

"Now I am, yes."

"Hmm well don't scrub too hard, or you'll end up drying your hands out. I ended up finding that out the hard way." She explained, avoiding the real reason behind what she originally asked.

Shadow noticed this and decided to play along. "You're right, but I prefer hand-washing over using some machine."

"Oh?" Rouge's brows rose. "Do tell."

"Well, for one thing, hand-washing allows you to see the progress of the dishes as they're being cleaned and deep stains can be taken out a lot easier."

"Mmm" she murmured, responding to his voice, but not completely listening. "I'm sure anything can be done a lot easier to you, Ultimate Lifeform."

Shadow smirked. "You haven't seen anything yet, Rouge."

Her eyes widening at what he could mean, before Rouge could utter a word, Shadow smiled mischievously at her. His charming allure caused her to shut her mouth on the spot.

"Anyway…I still needed to speak with you." he brought up, changing the subject.

"Hmm? Oh yea that's right. What's going on? Do you need help with something Shadow?"

Pleased by her eagerness to help, Shadow chuckled inwardly to himself but shook his head no. Drying off his hands, he turned to her and lightly touched her shoulder. "This time, I want you to help yourself."

She blinked. "Huh? Help myself? I already pay the my own bills…"

Chuckling, he shook his head and tossed the hand towel on the table. "No, Rouge, what I mean is, while I'm watching the boys, it would be best if you went out and lived your own life. At least for a couple of days." Then his tone softened. "You've been through enough stress and we both know you need time to relax so, why not do it while you can?"

Rouge gasped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing!

"Shadow are you giving me an invitation to a vacation?"

He thought it over and slightly shrugged. "If you want to call it that. You just need some time to yourself for a change, no strings attached. You can call me anytime if anything comes up. I'll give you my number later."

A free vacation? No strings attached?

Rouge was so taken aback by the news, she could barely form any audible words as the smile on her face continued to grow.

With a giggle, she threw her arms around Shadow's neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh thank you, Shadow!! This is just what I needed!" Pulling away, she wiped away the small hint of tears that lingered on her lashes. "Oh…but I'd have to pay you. How much do you want?"

"Nothing."

Nothing??

"Don't be silly, Shadow! Everybody needs to get paid with something! I ought to know that better than anyone else. I went out and paid myself when the President failed to do it right! The local museums sure didn't seem to mind."

"Hmmm" he smirked, lowering his eyes at her and giving her a playfully reprimanding glare. "Back to stealing from defenseless museums are we?"

"Hey it's not my fault they have terrible security!" she defended.

"True, but Rouge, you have a family now… You can't risk getting locked up now."

"Tch! Such little faith you have in me, Shadow! I've gotten captured before, but I've made it out!" She pouted, referring back to the times when they were a constant team.

"Yeah…with my help…"

'Hmph'ing, Rouge crossed her arms and turned her side to him. " 'Hem, anyway… Since you're doing this for me, what can I give you?"

Shadow's fist lightly clenched in shock of this question. And honestly, he answered.

"…Your beautiful smile…"

"Huh?!" Rouge whisked around to face him, a silent inquiry clear on her face.

Blushing lightly, Shadow wondered to himself if he really should have said that or not. But truthfully, he had been waiting more than fours years just to do so.

He'd say it was about time.

Nearing closer to her, Shadow slipped his arms around her lightly and hugged her. "Please take care of yourself Rouge." He uttered and before she could return his embrace, he pulled away and proceeded to walk out of the room.

"Uh—Shadow…?" she called, but he did not return. Figuring that moment was a sensitive topic to him, she accepted that and headed back to her room to pack.

-

That same morning, Sonic eagerly awoke with a loud yawn and a good stretch. Scratching his chest with one hand and drowsily rubbing his eyes with the other, Sonic slid out of bed.

With one more satisfying stretch, the tranquil hedgehog grabbed some clean socks out of his top dresser drawer, as well as a cereal bar, and proceeded out the door.

Padding indolently down the hall and down two flights of stars, Sonic tucked the socks under his arm as he walked through the sunlit living room and into the kitchen.

Lazily flipping on the faucet, he yawned again and slipped a glass under the trickling water.

Taking a large bite of his travel-sized breakfast, Sonic drowsily trudged back out into the living room, passing a knocked out Knuckles and Amy and went back up the steps.

Finally making it to the bathroom on the second floor, Sonic tossed his socks on top of the toilet and took another swig of his water.

It took a good 5 seconds later for his brain to actually register what he just saw on the couch and he ferociously spat out his water all over the mirror.

Flustered, he tore out of the bathroom and appeared directly beside the snoozing couple within seconds—a minor sonic boom following late behind him.

Feeling a sudden gust ruffle her in her sleep, Amy's face scrunched in a painful grimace and a hand instinctively went to her head.

"Ugggh my head…!" she groaned, struggling with getting her eyes to open.

The moment she managed to gain sight in one of them, the frame of a fuming blue hedgehog was the first thing she beheld.

His chest heaved at a quickened pace and his brows were almost knitted together in vexation.

Alarmed as she was unexpected to see Sonic first thing in the morning, she happily sat up to greet him, thinking they were both in her room. But when she tried to move, something constricted her from doing so.

Glancing down curiously, the pupil in Amy's eye was nearly swallowed by her iris and her other eye popped open that instant.

There was Knuckles, sprawled out on the couch on his side with both arms around her waist.

"Oh s#it!" she forced out in a hushed whisper and brutally pushed Knuckles onto the floor. "Sonic, I can explain!!" she started to speak up in a small and raspy voice, but Sonic did not want to hear it.

"Forget it Amy. I'm going for a run. Don't wait up for me." He stated with no emotion in his voice whatsoever and within the next split-second, he was gone, slamming the front door behind him.

Amy yelped as she grabbed hold of the back of the couch as best as she could as nearly everything in the living room without much weight was thrust into the air and slammed against the front door in Sonic's wake.

Hearing all the sudden banging and slamming, Knuckles woke up with a start in his classic fighting pose. "WHO IS IT? I told those cops to stay off my back, this is MY HOUSE!" he yelled, then looked around. "Wait, where am I?!"

"YOU FU#KING IDIOT!!!" Amy screamed, kicking him sharply in the back of the head. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she wailed, repeatedly attacking him even as he tried to face her.

"Wha---!Amy-!! Hey!! Stop!! STOP, girl!!" Knuckles shouted, blocking all of her attempts to seriously do some damage to him. "What has gotten into you?!!"

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU BIG DUMB ECHIDNA!!" she screeched, batting at his face but when that didn't work, she slipped a quick kick at him squarely between the legs.

Harshly biting his bottom lip and choking on his next breath, Knuckles tried to remain standing but ended up sinking to his knees.

And Amy still continued to relentlessly show no mercy as she leapt on him and continuously pounded on his chest.

"It's all your fault he left me!! All your fault!!"

Moments later, Knuckles began to regain consciousness. Once he fully recognized that this girl was still beating on him, he swiftly grabbed her wrists and flipped her over on her back. Of course, she began to kick and he carefully blocked them with his shins while holding her down.

Before long her threatening assaults began to wear her down, and Knuckles wrapped his arms around her tightly to keep her steady.

The moment he took the initiative, her body began to shake and hot tepid tears streamed from her eyes and stung his chest.

Stung? Did he have an open wound somewhere?

Damn, she actually nailed a hit on him? When? He didn't even notice!

Nonetheless, Knuckles continued to hold the heart-broken girl in his arms as her tears furiously burned their story into his flesh.

-Mel


	9. Shooting the Breeze

**The Babysitter Affair Chapter 9 **

-

Ripping through the streets as if they were lined with fire, the remorseful blue hedgehog's mind raced as fast as his feet.

What was Amy doing laying on top of Knuckles like that?

Sonic's features solidified as the remnants of earlier that morning seeped into his thoughts.

The look in Amy's eyes when she woke up...

The way her hands tightened guiltily into fists when she sought him...

How close she was to Knuckles on that couch...

On his couch...

Unable to continue to carry the toll the previous events weighed on him, Sonic eventually came to a stop. Panting, only from the rare event of thinking continuously at such a magnitude, Sonic took a deep breath and briskly eyed his surroundings.

Strangely, he didn't recognize this part of town. It was amazing that he was still within the town from all the running he did.

Taking a glance behind him, he realized that he was standing in front of a public park.

His large green eyes shifted slightly from left to right as memories of spending time at small parks like these floated into his mind.

He remembered when he, Tails and Amy traveled to a park like this years ago before Tails went to college at his young age.

Sonic had teased him about being the shortest person there, but the little fox only laughed.

Since the day he left, things had gotten dramatically calmer. Even Amy had left to live at her own place for a while.

Around the time Sonic was living as a bachelor, he often wondered what the others were upto, and everytime he wondered about Tails, the radiant image of Amy followed not far behind.

Soon, she became mostly all he thought about for days and he couldn't understand why.

Yet, needless to say, he put a reluctant end to those thoughts.

Then one day, the thought of her hit him again and it wouldn't let him go until he dealt with it and before he knew it, he had made a beeline for where she lived at the time.

At that time, he was thankful for writing down her address when she first told him what it was a few years back.

It was raining that day. That was part of the reason why it was so memorable. The other half of it begrudged and haunted him for days and he remained wrought with its guilt.

The rain had poured so much during that day that it crossed his mind that he would drown several times before making it to her place.

Part of him wanted it to happen—well minus the actual drowning part, but something that would at least create a diversion.

He knew he was procrastinating but something still bothered him about seeing her...

Keeping the piece of paper with her information on it curled reassuringly in his hand, he headed upto her door and knocked on it

She answered it right away and invited him in.

They talked for a while about random things: her life, his life, Tails, past memories...

It wasn't long before Amy realized that Sonic was beating around the bush about something.

When she went to ask him, he playfully denied it

-

_"Sonic?"_

_The distant hedgehog nearly jumped in his seat at the sound of her voice he had been so deep in thought and immediately looked to her._

_"Whoa! Yeah? What is it Amy?"_

_Noticing that he was acting strangely, Amy blinked in both confusion and curiosity. "Um...are you sure you're alright?"_

_"Yeah, great!" he replied, a little too quickly._

_Not liking to be played for a sap, Amy's soft features solidified into a frown and she pushed herself up from her sofa chair._

_With a 'hmph', she turned up her nose at Sonic and crossed her arms._

_Watching her intently, Sonic's eyes drifted between the placement of her arms and her face._

_He knew that she knew something was bothering him. There was nothing that he could hope to hide from Amy._

_Standing from the sofa chair, Sonic instinctively made his way over to her and tapped her on the shoulder._

_"A-Amy?"_

_No answer._

_"Oh, giving me the cold shoulder, huh?" he joked, but still was granted with no answer._

_Repeating himself, but lower this time, Sonic went to face her, but she simply turned the other way--sticking her nose into the air again._

_If he couldn't tell her what was really on his mind or the truth, then why should she bother listening to him?_

_You can't listen to what you don't hear, right?_

_Catching on, Sonic hesitantly took a step backwards away from her and sighed._

_She knew him too well._

_He would never admit it, but that was one of the things he appreciated so much in her._

_He wasn't sure what his heart had been telling him, but he knew it had something to do with her._

_But everytime he tried to get the words out--something in the pit of his stomach always stopped him..._

_Why?_

_He never could understand that..._

_Was that a sign?_

_"Sonic...?"_

_Hearing his named called again, but softer this time, Sonic lifted his eyes to Amy's and there he became still._

_She did the same._

_Knowing that this was a moment to tell him what she wanted to, Amy dared a step forward._

_Sonic watched her silently with curious eyes as she reached out and took his hands in hers--and led it to her chest, over her heart._

_"...Sonic..." she spoke lowly, lifting her head to meet her eyes with him._

_"...Sonic...we've gone through this so many times before...but everytime, you never gave me a straight answer..."_

_Guilty._

_"...Amy...I.."_

_"But..." she interrupted, clenching his hands tightly, "but you... ...Don't run away this time, Sonic, please. I'm a big girl now." she tried to smile. "Just tell me...how you feel..." She paused and looked him dead in the eyes. "Tell me the truth."_

_"...I..."_

_--_

Remembering how that moment ended, Sonic lowered his eyes ruefully. Instead of telling her how he felt he simply left their situation at "I need more time, Amy".

It didn't occur to him until a year later that he was indirectly leading her on--getting her hopes up.

He never gave her a direct answer, but let her live with him when she lost her job, helped her get back on her feet and did things for her he wouldn't do for anyone else.

He still couldn't believe he sewed her name into fabric the day of her yard sale not too long ago. What the heck was he thinking? He couldn't sew! And while that showed through his 'handiwork', he wanted to do something special for her anyway.

"...Amy.." he whispered, then shook his head. "Damn it...why can't I tell her...? ...Why.."

It didn't make any sense to him. Whenever he wanted to tell her or show her the way he felt towards her, he couldn't.

He forced himself not to.

And now that he had constantly turned her down and pretended to not understand her feelings for him, she was beginning to ask about Knuckles more.

Sonic remembered when almost every other word out of that girl's mouth was his name or a nickname of some sort.

And, he honestly missed that.

Now he was beginning to regret withholding the truth from her, but he felt there was a reason for it.

And more than ever, he wanted to believe that there actually was a reason.

"…Sorry Amy…you deserve better than this…" were the last few words he allowed to sadly pass his smiling lips before returning his attention to the town below.

--

Taking slow and deep breaths, Amy struggled to remain calm as her body still shook from the powerful sobs she drained from it earlier. Firmly planted on the sofa, her back didn't touch the dorsal cushions. She was determined to keep it that way.

"Tch…so stubborn…" Knuckles bluntly stated with a disgusted curl to his lips.

Watching her fight amongst herself for no reason was not the way he planned on spending the day. Dealing with this nonsense for the first 10 minutes was tolerable enough, but now a full half hour had gone by. Needless to say, Knuckles was tired of it.

Grumbling, he shifted his weight to the armrest on the sofa and draped one arm across the back of it.

"Just how much longer are you going to keep that up…" he asked with a hint of annoyance to his voice. As Amy's mouth parted to form words, he snuck glances down at his arm and his chest where she had accidentally scratched him.

Neither abrasion was very deep, but it still stung.

"I.." she stammered and Knuckles' eyes seamlessly trailed upto her trembling form.

"…Yeah, you what?"

In almost the exact instant she heard him say those words, her brow furrowed and she turned to him with a sharp glare teeming in her eyes.

Knuckles didn't flinch in the least. He was used to this by now. In fact, he said what he did on purpose in order to make Amy forget about her tears--even if only for a moment.

"What's with you, Knuckles?!" Amy spat. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that. Don't think just because I'm depressed I won't scratch you up again!"

Grimacing in remembrance, Knuckles moved his arm from atop a section of the sofa and rested it behind his back.

A small smile of satisfaction curved Amy's lips as she saw this and continued on.

"Great response, Knuckles. Now tell me why you're giving me such a hard time"

"You're the one giving the hard times! I'm not doing sh!t."

"OH I beg to differ!!" Amy declared, her voice raising a little as she leaned forward towards him.. "And what do you call your little show earlier this morning?? Why were you hugging me in the first place??!"

"Hey, you're the one who came to ME in her sleep! Don't come at me with that!"

"So?! You didn't have to go and hold me close to you so that Sonic would see!"

"Oh so this is MY fault?"

"YES, IT IS YOUR FAULT!"

"So, you'd rather me let you fall on the floor while you were sleep walking, then??! You'd rather me let you fall and bust your ass on the floor?? I probably should have...!"

"Whoa, wait a minute, sleep-walk??" Amy recoiled in her verbal assaults and blinked in surprise.

"Sleep walking…?" she repeated in a disbelieving murmur. "I…I don't sleep walk!"

Steadily growing annoyed as the seconds rolled by, Knuckles clenched a fist and pounded it against the soft fabric of the sofa.

"And how the HELL would you KNOW you DON'T sleepwalk, Amy?! You're asleep!! Ugh!" he groaned, standing to his feet and running a mitt through his dreads.

"…She always says things to me like that…" he muttered, referring to Rouge. Rouge would refer to it as "tough love", but to Knuckles and to Amy, Rouge was being more like a dog than a bat...

Fearing in the pit of her stomach that she'd accidentally hit a soft spot, Amy immediately stopped her bickering and rose with him.

"Knuckles… Knuckles I'm…"

"No, save it Amy. I've heard it all too much before from my 'loving' wife. 'You don't know what I'm doing, you're just taking guess, you idiot!' " he angrily mocked in Rouge's nagging tone towards him. "Or.. 'Gee, Knuckles what mess did you get yourself into THIS time?' I can't win…"

Disturbed by her friend's display of anger, Amy dejectedly chose to watch him vent. Part of her felt awful for him from what he's had to deal with over the years. The other part…was a bit smug that he openly dissed his wife right in front of her.

What she said finally must have been sinking in…

He sighed and roughly shoved the memory to the back of his mind.

"Anyway..." he began in a slightly gruff tone, " Since you're talking to me again instead of beating on me and clawing up my arm..."

Amy nervously half-smiled.

"... Then are you ready to actually carry on a decent conversation, or do you want to go out looking for Sonic...?"

Pausing, Knuckles glanced over the rest of the room taking mental note of the clutter Sonic left behind him.

"Actually, I'd go with that idea myself. Sonic and I may be close friends, but I'm not cleaning up this mess...!" he stated with a hint of a chuckle.

Amy smiled faintly at Knuckles' comment and briskly thought over her options. Her warm expression assimilated into a cute inquisitive expression as her eyes traveled elsewhere in thought

A slight grin inched Knuckles' lips as he watched her. She would always be cute, no matter how serious she meant to be.

"What, was that a trick question?" he mused, with a snicker.

Not saying a word at first, Amy trailed her eyes seamlessly towards him. Then her features slightly hardened.

'Uh oh' Knuckles thought, dreading her answer.. 'Here it comes...!'

And it sure was. Amy could read his expressions as if she could hear his thoughts.

"Yeah, you know this was coming. But I need to hear this from you..."

He groaned. "Yeah yeah..."

"I'm serious, Knuckles!"

"And I'm seriously getting annoyed with it...So what else is new?"

"... Look, you may be able to block Rouge's snippy comments with that, but not mine! I don't care what she lets you get away with, I'm not going to hold back!"

Knuckles' eyebrows instinctively rose when he heard that. Needless to say, she had his attention.

He shifted his weight onto his left side and sarcastically crossed his arms.

"...I'm listening already..." he grumbled with a forced smirk. That cuteness was starting to fade real quick.

Nodding, Amy continued.

"...I know that was a low blow, but... ... Look, you already know that I'm in love with Sonic, right?"

"...What do I get from stating the obvious...?"

"...Fu#k you, smartass."

Knuckles laughed. If the years with Rouge made him a tad more defensive, then the few years being close friends with Amy made her pick up on his swearing habits.

He had to admit, while not always lady-like to hear, it did sound enticingly amusing coming from her.

"As I was saying... I am in love with Sonic, but with you around, it's giving him mixed signals and, quite frankly, it's giving me mixed feelings..."

"Oh...? How..."

Saying nothing for a good few seconds, Amy threw him a look as if she had seen him grow 2 more heads.

Confused and astonished, Knuckles looked to his left, then his right and lightly brought a mitt upto his muzzle. "What, is something on my face??"

"..." Realizing he didn't get what she meant the first time, Amy sighed and attempted yet another approach.

Adverting her gaze, she fidgeted nervously and bit her bottom lip.

Obviously, her choiced words were difficult ones. But maybe this time, he'd understand.

"...I... I didn't want to bring this up until later but... you have become a great friend to me in the short time we really got to know each other, as you already know. Although, I can't necessarily agree with your taste in women...or b!tches, whatever Rouge is..."

It took nearly half of what Knuckles had to not break out into laughter, but instead of a small sound of a chortle slipped out.

But Amy thought it was a scoff and glared at him with a tight-lipped expression.

"Whatever she is... But, since you are one of my very best friends now, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't grown fond of you. You were always there for me.

"There are times when I wish Sonic would just wake up and stop being so stupid and realize that I want to be with him. Because, if this goes on and if he doesn't return my feelings or give me some kind of closure, then---"

Listening intently, Knuckles hung on her every word. "...Then...?"

Exhaling deeply, Amy took a pause before answering and closed her eyes.

"...Then... I'm afraid that I'm going to start growing even more fond of you Knuckles..."

"What?"

"You heard me.." she replied in a hush of a whisper, opening her liquidy eyes.

The air between them soon became very heavy; so heavy that Knuckles unknowingly took a step back.

So that's what Amy's deal was.

He knew she felt something for him, but it was only out of heartache from Sonic not retuning her feelings or at least telling her something.

Or so it seemed.

"I..."

Her soft voice carried Knuckles from his thoughts.

Seeing his attention was again on her, Amy smiled faintly then adverted her eyes away from him again as she spoke.

"...I remember... this one time where Sonic actually called me...He called me, and wanted to drop by my place. This was when I still had a job, of course."

Knuckles nodded. "Uh-huh"

"Well, we were talking for about an hour when he just trailed off and got this sudden painful look on his face..." she gestured, making a face similar to his to describe it.

"So I asked him what was wrong and he didn't answer me. So I asked him again and he snapped right out of it and answered 'Huh? Yeah I'm great!'

"Likely story..." she frowned " I knew he was hiding something. He was avoiding my questions and giving me run-around answers. Pure bull-sh!t. But that's typical for Sonic if he's unsure about something or if he wants to protect someone...Whatever."

"I guess that's the way he is now..." Knuckles stated with a crooked smirk.

Amy took his remark as an indirect insult and rolled her eyes.

"..It's bull-sh!t. So, after a while I was getting annoyed with it and took his hand and put it right over my heart." she trailed off, peering down. The remorse she had felt was clear across her sincere features and it pained Knuckles to see her like that. But he allowed her to continue.

"I asked him how he really felt about me. I wanted to know, I needed to know how he really felt. I put myself out there, letting him know that I was willing to be his but what did he tell me? Not, 'yes Amy I feel the same' or 'no Amy, I don't feel that way' ."

"So what did he say then...?" Knuckles asked, a fist beginning to tighten.

Amy noticed, but didn't bother confronting him about it.

Instead, she looked straight up at him. Her bright green eyes teemed with dejected longing.

"... 'I need more time.' That was all he said to me."

Knuckles winced. "THAT was IT?!"

"...Yeah...that was it. He hasn't gotten back to me since about it."

"Sonic...you blue idiot...!" Knuckles grumbled to himself in irritation.

That hedgehog was leading Amy on! No wonder she seemed in love with Sonic one moment then distracted by Knuckles the next.

She needed clarity and it seemed as if whomever gave it to her first would claim her heart.

It was natural that she would be jealous of Rouge, but it was rather amusing to Knuckles with the way Amy talked about her.

Sure, he and Rouge made a mistake with getting married so quickly.

Then again, maybe they made a mistake getting married in the first place.

Rouge did really love him, didn't she?

Knuckles scoffed. Maybe he should take Amy's words to heart more often.

His sudden silence caused Amy to blink. "What, what is it??"

With a deep sigh, Knuckles shook his head, then stepped closer to her.

Amy's breath instantly caught in her throat as her heart thumped fiercely against her chest.

"W-what is it? What's wrong??"

"Amy..." Knuckles began lowly. Lightly, he placed a mitt on her shoulder and met eyes with her.

A soft fiery hue met with its sympathetic green invert in a clear submersion of mutuality.

Amy was at a loss for commentary and kept her focus on the curve of Knuckles' mouth was he opened it to form his opinion.

"... You do realize that for Sonic, this situation is critical."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Wh-what do you mean??"

"What I mean is, if you really want to be with him, then you have to let him know."

"But I already did that!! I already told him I wanted to be his but he just gave me the same crap as he always does, Knuckles! Didn't you listen to me?!" she exclaimed. She could feel the backs of her eyes beginning to sting.

"Yes, I was listening to you Amy, but what I'm SAYING is it doesn't MATTER how many times you tried to tell him or the times you tried to show him you loved him.

Did he ever run off like he did today?"

"...No..."

"Then you've got to tell him NOW."

"Now? Why now? What difference will that make?"

"Because NOW, he's vulnerable from seeing you with me and NOW because of that he may give you an answer."

Amy pressed her lips together in thought as she tried to piece his words together to make sense.

"Listen, Amy, if you want closure then this is your chance. ... It doesn't matter if he says yes or no, right..."

She nodded, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand. "Right..."

His eyes narrowed. He knew that once she settled this problem with Sonic, he had to prepare himself for a faster goodbye than he originally planned.

...Hooray for that second honeymoon...

But ever since Amy's words had finally drilled through his hard head and into his heart, he began to have second thoughts about this second marriage altogether.

But he could worry about that later.

First, they had a confused hedgehog to find.

"Come on... let's go find this idiot..."Knuckles groused with a forced smirk.

Smiling, Amy agreed with a nod and walked with Knuckles out the cluttered door.

--


	10. Preperations

**The Babysitter Affair Chapter 10**

Over at Rouge's, her mind gave her no peace or silence as she zipped between dresser drawer after dresser drawer to her suitcase on the bed.

'What am I doing...?' the frantic bat feverishly thought to herself while packing ' How can I just be ready to leave like this...?'

Her heart beat in a steady and quick rhythm in her chest as she continued gathering her belongings as well as her thoughts.

Everything had seem to happen so quickly.

First finding that band in Knuckles' dreads, him losing yet another job in the same year; meeting up with Shadow after years of no contact whatsoever, him fixing breakfast and now him wanting to send her on vacation??!

' I can't believe this...' she thought, grabbing a few more articles of clothing from her top dresser drawer. 'We haven't even had more than a whole day to talk about anything or to catch up! And now, here I am, preparing to leave on a vacation?? A well-NEEDED vacation? ...Knuckles would never suggest something like that...'

Knuckles...

Although she had to admit, finding that lacy pink band in her husband's hair wasn't the very beginning of their turmoil.

It actually started on her wedding day.

-

_Both she and Knuckles stood at the alter._

_The priest was taking his dear old time with proclaiming the traditional passages._

_There she was, in her beautiful and meticulously decorated wedding dress. An aromatic and opulent bouquet of red and pink roses rested in her arms._

_Her husband-to-be stood closely next to her with his eyes on the priest._

_It was obvious that he was eager for the reading to be over so that he could recite his "i do"s and be wed._

_But her on the other hand, was impatiently and mentally screaming for something to intervene with the ceremony._

_Having cold feet wasn't uncommon while on the alter, but her issue was more than just that._

_Standing up there in front of everyone and under God, her mind raced at an insane speed._

_Thoughts of not doing something she truly wanted to, moving to fast with her life and lying to herself wrought her mind and made her shiver._

_It wasn't that she didn't have any feeling for Knuckles but..._

_Risking a slick look behind her in the audience, she silently searched for him...but as she had already expected, she did not see him._

_Some best friend he was walking out on her wedding day without even saying hello..._

_...Then again, It wasn't like she could blame him._

_Returning her attention back to the overused words of nuptial tradition, her awkwardness was caught by Knuckles._

_His cool eyes gazed over her and she hoped he only thought she was nervous._

_And to her relief he did. He warmly reached up to brush his mitt across her arm to reassure her and smiled._

_Without thinking, she smiled back._

_Becoming lost within those eyes, she had begun to feel guilty for all the uncertainties she had with this marriage._

_In the back of her mind, she asked herself. 'Why are you marrying this guy...?'_

_- _

"..."

And even to this day, she still never gave herself an honest answer to believe although she knew all too well why...

Her mind had been so occupied with her lingering thoughts, she hadn't noticed that she had already fastened her suitcase, but was stacking more clothes on top of it.

"..Oh...oh no!" she whispered sharply as she batted away the extra clothing and opened the suitcase.

Her eyes traveled over her encased belongings and she mentally made a checklist of what she needed.

So far, she had it all, she was just missing a few bathroom items.

Turning on her heels, she made a bee-line for the bathroom, when she stopped herself. Heading a little more down the hallway, she peeked around the corner of the Dining Room to see if Shadow had gone back in there and low and behold, he had.

He sat at the table with his hands folded together and a distant look on his face.

Obviously, he appeared to be deep in thought.

Rouge wondered if she should even mention to him she would be leaving soon or not but decided not to bother him.

Just as silently as she had approached, she retreated back towards the bathroom.

She didn't bother asking where the boys were. She could hear their playful voices drifting through the floor from their rooms downstairs.

And that thought alone was more than enough to comfort her.

Once Shadow heard the door to the bathroom close, his ear twitched and he steadily came out of his mental trance.

He knew she was watching him, but he wanted to see what she would do.

A bit bothered that she didn't say anything to him, Shadow pushed himself up from the table and walked towards the nearby windows in the room.

--

"Do you see him yet?"

"For the 17th time, Amy, NO I don't see him!"

Amy sighed at Knuckles' overly direct answer. "I was just asking!"

"Yes, you were just asking but we're walking in the same direction! If I saw him, SO WOULD YOU!"

"Hey you don't have to yell!" she retaliated and curled one of her hands into a claw and waved it at him. "...Or else you want me to reopen those wounds..."

Knuckles' body shuddered and he grimaced at the thought. "Cut it out!"

Amy laughed triumphantly and Knuckles couldn't help but laugh a little too.

"So...do you seem him yet?"

"..."

"Whoops...that time it just slipped out!"

"...At this point in time, I don't care if it did!"

Amy sighed. They had been walking around the neighborhood and town for nearly 20 minutes and still no sign or hint of Sonic.

"...Maybe we should have taken the car..." she rhetorically commented.

The idea hit Knuckles that they actually should have, but they were in such a rush it slipped both their minds. That and Amy just KNEW that SHE would find Sonic.

Yeah, that sure did a lot of good...

"What are you thinking about now...?" she asked in annoyance. That had to have been the 3rd time that day Knuckles had gone off in thought without saying a word!

This was becoming a little creepy!

"Huh?" the distant echidna winced at her voice. Then he shrugged it off. "Oh, you were just complaining again..."

Amy half-frowned and paused to take a rest. "This is getting us nowhere!"

"Well, we COULD have taken the car, but who was it that said they would DEFINETLY find that idiot?? It damn sure wasn't me!"

Caught guilty, Amy laughed it off. Running a hand through her bouncy bangs, she absentmindedly peered up into the sky.

Knuckles said nothing as his violet eyes delicately beheld her.

So she was 16 now huh? To him she still looked much younger than that, but she certainly didn't act that way anymore.

And for that, he was glad. But in the back of his mind he wondered, just where would that lead to?

He sighed. If only they had met under different circumstances then...

...Then what?

Reluctantly, he shook the thoughts from his mind.

Returning his attention fully to her, he frowned to find her staring at him impatiently with her hands on her hips.

Her stern eyes thoroughly searched his.

"...Welcome back..." she stated plainly.

"Er...sorry Amy..."

"...Forget it. Anyway, I have an idea. You're not out of shape right?"

Knuckles was taken aback by this and was almost amused. Almost.

"What?! Girl, have you looked at this body??" he exclaimed, spreading out his arms for her to see every peck and muscle through the fabric of his clothing.

And what she saw was nice but it didn't answer her question.

Knuckles knew this and continued on. "NO, I'm not out of shape. Just what are you implying...?"

She grinned. "Let me get on top of you for a second."

Knuckles nearly jumped out of his skin. Had he heard her right?

"WHAT?" he laughed "Well, uh I can appreciate your eagerness but uh when any woman gets on top of me, it'd take a lot more than just a few seconds. Give me a little more credit than that!"

"Eww! That's not what I meant!! Knuckles!"

"HAHAHA! I'm just kidding. So you want me to take you for a ride then..."

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

But his laughter only heightened.

"Knuckles! Get a grip! I'm not coming on to you alright?! Just—let me get on your back so you can glide around town to search for Sonic!"

"Now why couldn't you just say so, huh?? Could there be...a hidden yearning in there somewhere, Amy??"

"No!"

"...You're not sure are you...?"

Becoming irritated, Amy clenched a fist and when Knuckles saw she meant business, he stopped and tried to calm her down.

"Hey hey! I was only messing with you alright?"

Taking deep, slow breaths, Amy nodded. "Yeah alright"

Seeing that she was calming down, Knuckles turned to let her climb on his back.

Several minutes later, they were soaring through the air. It didn't take them very long to locate the downtrodden hedgehog. He sat idly in a swing, lazily kicking his legs back and forth.

"There he is!" Amy exclaimed and before she could tell Knuckles to land, he u-turned away from Sonic's location first, then landed.

Confused, Amy opened her mouth to protest, but Knuckles covered it and shook his head.

"...Hey... it's not me he's looking for."

Amy just stared at him with wide eyes. She knew he was right. "Yeah..." Then her features suddenly perked up. "Alright, so me and Sonic will both see you later?"

Admiring her cuteness, Knuckles smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you will. Just don't keep that idiot waiting!"

Smiling broadly, Amy gave Knuckles a quick hug then scampered off to meet with her crush.

Satisfied with his good deed for the day, Knuckles watched her leave. And for a moment, it felt as though a small part of him had left along with her.

That girl...

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he prepared to head back to Sonic's place and fished his phone from his pocket to check the time.

5:57 pm

It was getting late already.

He missed seeing his boys.

"They're probably playing around this time of day" he uttered to himself. In the back of his mind, he wondered how Rouge was doing and as he did, he was sharply reminded of their previous disagreement.

Sighing, he gathered his thoughts for a moment and flipped open his phone.

--

As the time went by, Rouge was still gathering items in the bathroom, along with spending most of the time thinking while Shadow continued his gazed out the window.

He had already ceased his rambling deliberations.

But he'd wasted enough time. Silently, he began to leave the Dining Room to head downstairs when the phone rang.

Not sure if he should answer it or not, he cautiously just let it ring. He glanced towards the bathroom door. Rouge didn't seem to care if it were urgent or not, so why should he?

Quietly, he counted the rings and listened as the answering machine picked up.

"...Hello? ...Rouge? Boys?"

Shadow instantly froze. Only his eyes darted to the machine as Knuckles' deep voice wavered over its speakers.

Hearing that echidna's voice again made Shadow's muscles tighten in anger. If not for it being Rouge's place, he would have smashed that phone.

Reluctantly, he continued to listen to the message.

" ...Heheh, no answer, like I thought. Anyway, I was just calling to check up on you guys and...to say that ...I'm sorry about earlier, Rouge. I'm sorry my actions led you to think I was cheating on you and...I'm going to do my best to make it up to you... ... I love you, Rouge. Tell the boys I love them too. I'll call again later. Bye..."

-click-

"You have one new mess---"

-beep!-

"... Message deleted. No new messages---"

Shadow said nothing as he stood over the machine with his finger still on the delete button.

His body acted on impulse and he had immediately discarded of the message before Rouge found out anything about it.

The last thing she needed to hear was that echidna's voice. Although, Knuckles WAS apologizing for his actions and his and Rouge's argument, deep down Shadow could tell she wanted nothing to do with Knuckles at the moment.

Or was that just his anger and jealousy talking?

Thinking she heard the answering machine, the bathroom door swung open and Rouge briskly emerged.

Shadow's body suddenly locked up as he stared at her with casual eyes.

She didn't suspect a thing.

Glancing over at the phone, she realized someone had called but couldn't see the number from where she was.

Looking to Shadow, she smiled lightly. "Who was it??" she asked honestly.

Instead of lying to her, Shadow returned her smile with a small one of his own.

"A pest..."

With a disgusted groan, she rolled her eyes and placed her fingertips to her temples.

"God, I hate those bill collectors. I already told them I'd give them their money but they still insist on bothering me!"

Shadow silently nodded. Not a hint of guilt showed across his features, although inside, he was sweating buckets.

He was also doing this to protect her—despite the fact he was starting to seem like the bad guy.

What was he thinking interfering with his best friend's marriage like that? Yes, she needed help but that was it. Help, not a guardian.

...He wondered about that.

In fact, after he knew she would be alright, he would drop out of her life again.

That seemed like the best thing to do, right?

With a satisfied grin, Rouge winked to him. "Thanks Shadow. Oh! I'm almost done packing. I'm going to go say goodbye to the boys and then I'll be off."

"Alright."

"Mmhmm. And just in case something happens, I think it would be a good idea for us to exchange phone numbers. That way, if you see or hear from that husband of mine, you can give me a heads up."

His body shuddered at the thought.

"...Imagine that..."

"Yeah...and besides..." she trailed off, her voice lowering, "I'd like for us to keep in touch, you know. 4 years apart from talking with someone you were so close to wasn't much fun." she frowned.

So she really did miss him. More than Shadow thought she did.

He found this to be quite interesting and it showed on his face.

"... I'd like that... ..."he agreed in a calm and placid tone.

"Great! Just give me a few minutes, alright?"

Shadow nodded and with a bright beaming smile, Rouge turned away from him and began to head down the steps.

As he watched her go, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Irony was a real pain.


	11. Whoops

_**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 11**_

Early the next morning, the gleeful chirps and lyrical greetings from the birds bid a salutation to the sun.

Its abundant blanket of warmth washed over all that beheld its fiery glow.

A slumbering Amy Rose began to stir in her sleep from the symphonic morning exaltation.

Soon, rising out of bed, she rubbed her eyes and turned her face towards the inviting rays of the sunlight.

Allowing a few yawns and stretches pass, she glanced over to her clock on her nightstand and nearly did a double-take from what time it was.

"10:30!!!!??" she exclaimed, already jumping out of bed and rummaging through her drawers for clean undergarments and pantyhose.

Then frantically, she scooped up the pair of clothes she had left out the night before and began getting dressed.

Downstairs in the living room, Knuckles was surprisingly already awake.

His thoughts had wrought the toll of insomnia upon him and all he could think about were his boys and sometimes Rouge.

But much to his satisfaction, the odd thumping sounds from upstairs tore his guilty thoughts asunder.

Glancing upto the ceiling, a smug smile curved his lips as he realized the sounds were coming from Amy's room.

His eyes dashed to one of the large clocks on the wall that also presented the days as well as the time.

Smirking, he chuckled to himself and shook his head.

Seconds later, Amy came bounding down the steps with one heel on one foot and a skirt on backwards.

Impatiently trying to keep her balance, when she reached the living room, she tried slipping on the other heel while hopping around on the carpet.

Watching this girl make a living fool out of herself, Knuckles laughed and stood to his feet to greet her.

"Amy...what...are you doing, girl??!"

"I'm running late! What's it look like?!"

"Late?" Knuckles echoed while raising a brow.

Snickering, he took a step closer to her and gripped her shoulder so she could put her shoe on.

Annoyed by his behavior, she threw her wild bangs out of her face and stood up straight.

"WHAT!?" she demanded, obviously flustered.

Taking his time, Knuckles chuckled yet again and patted her on the back.

"Late for your new interview?"

"Duh! What else would I be late for??"

Raising yet another brow, Knuckles kept that comment to himself. But he knew that she and Sonic didn't do "anything."

"Turn around..." he stated casually and he rubbed her back and led her attention to the clock he looked at previously.

Looking at it, Amy shrugged then glared at him. "What's the point?! If you keep me here a minute longer, you better take me over there!"

"Hehheh...Amy...what day did you say your interview was on?"

"Monday!"

"Today is Sunday..." Knuckles relayed with a sniggering smirk.

"Sun--" Amy's eyes went wide and she nearly lost her balance from her overlooked moment of stupidity.

"OH MY GOD!!!!!" she cried, a goofy grin on her face.

"Oh my God! It's Sunday!!"

Knuckles laughed. "Well, at least it shows your dedication to this interview tomorrow!"

"Haha yeah I guess so!"

"What's all the commotion, did I miss the joke?"

Both Amy and Knuckles paused in their amusement to acknowledge the newcomer into their conversation.

As soon as her eyes beheld him, Amy's features lit up with joy and she ran to him ."Oh Sonic!" she called, throwing her arms tightly around him.

"You're awake! Good morning!!"

"Haha, good morning to you Amy! Can I have my lungs back now...?" he playfully wheezed.

Smiling, Knuckles walked upto both of them and looked to Sonic.

Neither of them exchanged words, but a simple nod each to let the other know that they were on good terms again.

Yesterday, Amy and Sonic had a very long and meaningful conversation when they got back to his place.

And much to her surprise and happiness, he agreed to give a relationship a chance.

Although part of him still seemed against the ordeal, he ignored that and went along with it anyway. He did it just to see Amy's genuine smile towards him again.

In other positive news, Amy had her new job interview tomorrow as a hostess in one of the most prestigious restaurants in town.

If all went well, she would be back on her feet getting a new place soon.

Both Knuckles and Sonic were glad she was making such a startling fast comeback.

The two had also agreed to put the whole Amy misunderstanding behind them. And because of that, Knuckles has been enjoying his days away from the house, but he planned on making a trip there sometime soon.

As a matter of fact, why not do it now? He had nothing better to do.

Smiling faintly to himself and his thoughts, Knuckles waved goodbye to Sonic and proceeded to walk out the door.

"Hey!" Sonic called to his friend "Where're you goin' ?"

Curious, Amy slightly removed her face from being nuzzled in Sonic's chest and turned towards Knuckles with wide eyes.

'Don't tell me he's going back to that woman already!' she thought and her eyes narrowed into slits at the idea.

And Knuckles picked up on her expression immediately.

"Hey, I'll be back, okay? I just want to check up on the boys first. Is that alright, Ms Queen?" he asked with a mischievous grin towards Amy.

Satisfied, her features softened and she nodded. "Alright, fine, see ya. Just don't come crawling back here if she kicks you again!"

Knuckles laughed. "Well then you'd be even with her because you've kicked me twice in the same week!"

The 3 of them shared a warm round of laughter, and on that positive note, Knuckles left out the door.

"Hey, don't leave me alone with her!" Sonic joked, giving Amy a squeeze.

Completely in solace, Amy beamed at him and hit him on the shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean!"

"Hahaha! ...Think fast!" Sonic shouted and took off up the steps.

"What! You cheater!" Amy retaliated and was about to charge up the stairs after him, but stopped herself.

Looking over towards the doorway, she saw the silhouette of Knuckles standing there watching.

"Thank you" she mouthed, then happily ran up the stairs.

Half-smiling, Knuckles 'humphed and headed in the opposite direction.

--

"Hey hey! Now it's my turn!" a tiny childish voice cried.

"Nuh-uh, it's mine, Amafist! You already had a go!"

"Hey, whoa, you both had a turn...!" Shadow stated softly to the boys.

Disappointed in hearing something they didn't want to, the two exchanged looks and pouted.

"Aww, come on Mr Shadow!" Akai whined, tugging on Shadow's glove.

"Pwease? Can we finish the game? It was fun!"

"Yeah, fun!" Amethyst chimed in.

Shadow sighed.

The 3 of them had been playing a game of Charades and Clue Jr. for nearly18 hours straight without a wink of sleep.

And they still had the energy to keep going!

Shadow didn't mind the staying up part so much, but all the GAMES he had to play with them to keep their INTEREST was another story all in itself.

It was nearly maddening to him. He had no idea how Rouge could do it!

For the past 17 hours, Shadow has had his hands full watching the boys. He seemed to get along well with them rather quickly however, especially with Amethyst. But that Akai sure was a handful!

He and Rouge kept in touch at least 3 times that day for small talk, check ups on each other and reports on how the boys were doing.

Rouge...

He wondered when she'd call again.

"Mr. Shadow!!!" Amethyst's high voice called. Tumbling out of his thoughts, Shadow casually trailed his eyes over to the young echidna and gave a very slight hint of a smile. "Yes, what is it?"

"We wanna play some more!" he pleaded.

"Yeah!" Akai agreed. "But we wanna play a different game!"

Amethyst looked back to his brother with large confused eyes. "We do?"

"Yeah WE do!!"

"...Okay. What game?"

"Oh! How about hide n go seek!"

Shadow blinked. Another game?? As much as he was fine with the boys' company, he had to give it a rest!

Leaning forward, he called both of them closer.

"What is it, Mr. Shadow?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

Shadow smirked at their obedience, but his weariness began to show a little.

"I've got a game. 2 that can be played at the same time, actually... How about we play...the quiet game?"

"Oooh!" They cheered. "The quiet game!"

"Mommy always plays that with us tho!" Akai complained.

"And I can see why" Shadow replied.

"What's da second game, Mr. Shadow?" Amethyst questioned.

"...The sleeping game."

His reply was met with curious and inquisitive sounds.

"We've never played dat..."

"Yeah..."

Shadow inwardly chuckled. "Good. I'm sure you'll love it. But first the quiet game! What we're going to do is, as soon as the quiet game starts, the sleeping game will too, so you'll have to run to your beds and act like you're sleeping. Whoever stays quiet and 'asleep' the longest wins!"

Too young to understand the gimmick behind these games, the two boys excitedly exchanged awed expressions.

"Oooh! I'm gonna go tuh sleep first!" Akai announced proudly.

"Nuh-uh, I will!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yah-huh!"

"Prove it!"

"I will!" Amethyst protested. He folded his little hands and slipped them under his cheek to pretend that he was sleeping.

When Akai saw this, a huge grin crossed his features and he dashed downstairs.

Hearing his brother bound down the steps, Amethyst 'woke up' and scampered after him. "Hey you cheated!!" he cried, struggling to catch up with his sibling.

"Haha! I'm gonna win this one!" Akai proclaimed and jumped into his bed.

Amethyst enthusiastically followed suit.

Alone upstairs, Shadow stared blankly at the steps for a moment, recollecting what just happened.

He chuckled. "...Too easy!"

Finally alone, he yawned loudly and stretched.

"...Glad that's over with... Now..." he trailed off, looking around for a place to rest.

He wouldn't dare go into Rouge's bedroom to sleep on the bed.

The floor didn't seem too inviting, especially after what he heard about it the other night.

He sighed. As his deliberation continued, his eyes lingered over to the set of couches in the Living Room and in a flash of light, he appeared in front of them.

Slight crackles of energy sparked about him and he stood there for a moment contemplating it.

"Hmmm... Chaos Control seems to still be malfunctioning..."

he muttered to himself and sat down.

As he pondered the cause of the irritating predicament, his cell phone began to ring.

In an instant, he whipped out the device and rolled it open.

He didn't even bother to check the number. If it wasn't Sonic or Amy it could only be the number that actually mattered to him.

"Hello?" he spoke with a hint of suaveness to his voice.

It was unintentional, but it granted him a light-heated giggle from the other end.

"Hello again, Shadow. Sorry I keep calling so much."

He casually blinked. "I don't mind."

"Well I do! These are my daytime minutes!" she playfully stated.

They shared a small laugh, then a silent pause settled in.

"Enjoy your vacation yet?" Shadow bluntly asked.

Not really a great ice-breaking comment, but it did the trick.

A slight surprised sound escaped Rouge, then she laughed.

And at the sound of her lyrical pitches, Shadow secretly held the phone tightly and closer to his ear.

"Always the same Shadow. Always business and straight to the point!"

Even Shadow had to chuckle at this, but it sounded more like a 'hmph'.

"Yeah. It gets me answers."

"Answers, huh?" Rouge inquired. The tone in her voice led Shadow to believe another thought was entwined with those words. But instead of delving into that circumstance, Rouge changed the subject.

"So, how are the boys?"

"... Sleeping."

"Sleeping?! It's still early for them! How do you do it, Shadow??"

"Me? How do you manage to put up with them like this every day?"

She laughed. "They're my own personal trainers. And I stay in shape! They're a Godsend for that!"

Shadow smirked darkly at this. 'Too bad their father is the exact opposite...' he thought.

And if he didn't know any better, he could have sworn Rouge could read his mind.

"By the way, has that man showed up yet?"

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Shadow's stomach at the mentioning of that echidna from her and he groaned.

"Hmmm I'll take that as a no..."

"...No...he hasn't..."

Silence. It seemed she realized talking about Knuckles really bothered Shadow. And in the back of her mind, she knew why and felt a little guilty for it.

But what was done, was done. Regardless of the situation and her feelings years ago, she chose Knuckles. End of story—but was that the whole story?

"Well, be sure to let me know."

"... You seem very persistent about letting me know that. Is there something you're not telling me, Rouge...?"

She sighed. "... ...Sorry... I just get the feeling he may pop up any moment now. Being away from the boys more than 24 hours is torture to him."

"... I see..."

"Anyway, if everything's fine right now, I'm going to let you go so you can get some rest."

"...Thanks..." he said softly. It wasn't really rest that he needed, but it would be nice.

He'd stayed up much longer than that and actually had done so roughly 2 weeks before her 18th birthday.

He and Rouge both stayed up for hours upon hours talking about everything and nothing.

They both found themselves relating on a similar level of understanding as best friends.

But they both knew not all things were as they seem.

"Shadow?? Shadow??"

Rouge's concerned tone brought him out of his rampant thoughts.

He cleared his throat and plainly answered.

"... What is it?"

" You alright?"

"Yes..."

"Hmmm ... I wonder about that, but I'll believe you...for now."

"Hmph."

"Haha, I'll talk to you later, Shadow. Maybe one of these days we can...catch up?"

Catch up? Was that a pass or an invitation?

"...No, I wasn't making a pass at you if that's what you were thinking."

Damn.

But he agreed. "We will talk later then."

"Bye Shadow. Thanks again!"

"... My pleasure. Enjoy your vacation.

"I---------I will!!!" she chirped.

Her cheerful voice caused him to crack a smile.

Once they hung up, he brought the phone to his forehead, closed his eyes and sighed.

He had to question himself again. Just what was he doing?

'I'm just helping my ally.' he told himself. 'Anyway, the boys should be sleeping by now. I better go check on them...'

Settling that, he opened his eyes and was in the process of taking a glance towards the stairwell when the sudden muscular form of a certain echidna stepped into his line of vision.


	12. Slight Inquiries

_**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 12**_

Frozen in place, Shadow became very silent and, only for an instant, lost the will to breathe.

The embodiment of his personal torment said nothing at first, but crossed his arms.

Burning violet met with racing ruby as they glared at each other. The tension was too thick, but moreso to Shadow than Knuckles.

"...Where is Rouge...?" Knuckles asked in a stern tone.

"...Obviously not here."

Knuckles could tell Shadow wasn't too thrilled with seeing him, but he didn't care. In fact, he didn't even consider Shadow a threat, for what he thought was a good reason.

He just wanted to know what Shadow was doing in his house.

"Where are my boys?"

"..." Shadow paused for a moment, then changed his tone. "Waste of breath to answer. You can see for yourself."

Knuckles blinked. Didn't he just give an answer anyway?

"Well, now that that's out of the way, get the fu#k out of my house!"

Shadow didn't have to think twice. After strongly flipping Knuckles off, he disappeared in a photon of crackled light.

Knuckles wasted no time after Shadow left to run downstairs and check on his sons.

Much to his surprise, and a little to his disappointment, they were fast asleep.

He at least wanted them to be awake to see their daddy home after the 2 days he hadn't been there.

It didn't even cross his mind that Shadow was the one who got them to goto sleep and again he didn't care.

He gave Akai and Amethyst both light kisses on their foreheads and proceeded to head back up the stairs.

Sighing, his mind relayed everything that had happened upto this point.

Rouge...where was she...? And the least important question he didn't bother to attempt to figure out was why Shadow was there.

From what he remembered, Shadow and Rouge had been best friends for years but for some reason he refused to show up at her wedding.

Hmmm..." Knuckles thought to himself. "What do you call a best friend who's been friends with a woman for years but never went out with her...? Hmmm..."

As his thoughts scattered, he began to lose interest and remembered to give Rouge a call since she wasn't at the house.

Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and started dialing.

--

A soft yawn drifted into the tropical air of Dry Lagoon.

Thoroughly relaxed, Rouge stretched while leaning up against a palm tree.

Covering her mouth to catch the remainder of her yawn, she crossed her legs and got comfortable.

Practically for the whole day she had been swimming, hunting and using the rich soil as fresh mud masks and packs for her skin.

It had been way too long since she last treated herself, she couldn't even remember it.

Yawning again, her liquidy eyes trailed over to her cell phone right next to her.

She thought of giving Shadow another call to see how the boys were, but quickly decided against it.

She had bothered him enough for one day.

Sure, she was worried if Knuckles ever came by the house and concerned for the boys. But she knew that wasn't the only reason she called so much.

It had been too long since she last felt so free, independent and in control of her own life.

And Shadow helped her get that freedom back.

Her thoughts reflected to the night before when she told Shadow that whenever she went looking for something, she found him.

"Hmm..." she mused thoughtfully. "Maybe it is a sign. But either way, I've got a brash husband to worry about.

And at that moment her cell rang. Absent-absentmindedly, she began to hum its tune, "Fly in the Freedom". Expecting it to be Shadow, she quickly snatched it up, but when she recognized the number, her expression dropped.

'Should I even answer it?' she pondered. After the 2nd loop of the song, she finally pressed the answer button.

"...What do you want..." she nonchalantly asked.

"...To talk to you, obviously." Knuckles answered thoughtfully. It was forced, but she could tell he was trying to make ends meet.

"... Oh really..."

"Yes, really. And from the way you greeted me so _nicely,_I'd take a guess and say you didn't get my message."

"...Making something up again...?"

He paused and again she could tell he was trying to cope. Yeah, she was giving him a hard time on purpose, but to her, he deserved it.

"...No, Rouge I'm not making anything up. I'm home right now and the--"

"You're home?!"

"Uh yeah...Is there a problem with me being in my own house?"

'Oh no, did he see Shadow?' she wondered frantically, but played it cool.

"Last I checked, I've been paying the mortgage and the utilities, so I own the house. You just moved in."

He sighed. "Do you always have to be so damn difficult? Look, I just wanted to know if you had gotten my message, yes or no?"

"What message?"

"..."

"...Hello...?"

"I'll take that as a no."

"I see..." she trailed off as her eyes fleeted to different random locations. "...Are the boys okay?"

"Great. In fact they're asleep. Which REMINDS me. Did you know Shadow was here...?"

Rouge said nothing for a second. Instantly, she had the sudden discomfort of a guilty lump in her throat she couldn't quite swallow.

"... S-Shadow?"

"...You know, your best friend? Well, last I checked...4 years ago."

"Hmmm"

"... Look, I don't care what he was doing here or why you wanted him here."

"He offered to babysit the boys while I was out." she stated quickly. She hoped to high heaven that she didn't accidentally rat Shadow out.

Luckily for her, Knuckles didn't take it that seriously.

"By the way, where are you?"

Not wanting to sound too suspicious, she said something they could both relate to.

"...The place your proposed to me...where we first..."

"... Had sex? Yeeaaah I remember that place. The weather was really hot there. It was great."

"..."

"One of these days, you've gotta do that thing you did with the water ag--"

"Stop stop! You're going too far! I don't believe I've forgiven you yet!"

"...Oh, you will...!"

"... Changing the subject! So what was it you had to tell me on your magically invisible message?"

"...You should know. You deleted it."

"No I..." she trailed off. The sudden image of Shadow at the answering machine flashed into her mind.

That clever little sneak!

So he was the one who did that!

"Bill collectors, huh..." she muttered.

"What was that? Bill collectors? You thought I was a...nevermind I'll just fu#king tell you."

Rouge listened as Knuckles took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"... What I said was, I didn't cheat on you."

"Uh huh"

"I mean it, bat-girl. I did not cheat on you."

"...How can I trust you...?"

"...Well, if you let me show you..."

"There's that tone in your voice again..." she mockingly sang lightly.

"Huh? Oh, the 'more fun for me and more babies for you' tone, right?"

"That's the one."

"Mmmm, care for some company?"

Rouge said nothing as her thoughts overruled any statement she may have.

She was upset with Knuckles, but she did miss him. On the other hand, because of their argument, she was able to meet up with Shadow again and learn that he still considered her a best friend after 4 years of non-communication.

And when she had him in her life, she always felt like she could do anything.

Regardless of all that, it was still too soon for her to just let Knuckles run back into her arms.

The right thing to do would be to enjoy her last few hours of her vacation, say goodbye to Shadow and go back home. For her to go back home to her family.

Knuckles was right, she would eventually forgive him and she was leaning pretty close to it.

Rouge chose her words carefully.

"...Actually Knuckles, I want to be alone for just a few more hours, if that's okay with you...?"

"A few hours? ... You know what, stay there as long as you need to, Rouge."

"...Wh- what did you say??!"

He chuckled. "What, is it illegal for me to tell my wife she can stay on her vacation a little while longer?"

"N-no, it's just...really nice...of you..."

"Now why did you have to say it like that? Don't tell me you have feelings for that hedgehog behind my back!"

A sudden chill rushed through her at that comment. She parted her lips to speak but no sudden sound came out. "... Wh-what...?!"

"Huh, what's that? Speechless, Rouge?"

"N-no! I-I just...!"

She nearly had to pull the phone away from her ear from the loud laughter she received.

"Hahaha! I was kidding! I know you're not sneaking around, Rouge. Besides, Shadow is 'harmless'. "

She blinked in confusion and raised a high eyebrow. " 'Harmless' ?"

"Yeah, you know" he mused, then smacked his lips to sound feminine. "He'th jutht tho faaaabulous" he mocked with a fake lisp.

"KNUCKLES! Shadow is NOT gay!"

"Surrrre he's not! It's been years and he still hasn't gotten with anyone. Even SONIC has moved on! He's finally with Amy now."

At this, Rouge raised the other brow. "... ...You're kidding me..."

"Nope! But anyway, I didn't mean for this call to be so long. I'll tell you what, you stay there as long as you like, and I'll just take the boys with me to Sonic's. Is that alright with you?"

What's this? Knuckles actually compromising? Voluntarily?? Get outta here!

As mystified as she was, Rouge wasn't going to turn this offer down.

With a short agreement and a lengthly goodbye, she closed the call.

Dropping the phone next to her on the grass, she leaned against the tree and sighed deeply.

And for a moment, she had no idea what to think. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she grabbed up a super long t-shirt to pull over her string bikini and dove into the clear waters.

-

If it's confusing, Knux said "He's just so fabulous" about Shadow.


	13. A Little Love, A Little Pain

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 13**

--

"No, Sonic! You're doing it wrong! Here, let me show you...!" Amy complained, reaching over Sonic's lap to grab his...Sega Genesis controller.

Playfully laughing, he yanked it away and out of her reach. "No way, Amy!! It took me a whole 3 minutes to get this far!"

Pouting, Amy' crossed her arms. Her glistening eyes glanced over at the large tv screen in front of them.

Since Knuckles left, the two of them decided to play a few old games they liked in Sonic's room.

For 2 hours, they played the games Amy enjoyed playing and for the last 5 minutes, Sonic decided to pop in Sonic 3. Why Sonic 3 of all games, Amy would never know. She knew Sonic liked watching himself, but damn.

Slowly, her lids began to lower half-way as she watched his colorful sprite dash across the screen and leap up onto a grassy ledge.

"You're too close to that enemy and you don't have a shield, Sonic!" she called, getting on her knees and trying to swipe at the controller, but Sonic barely had to move to keep it away from her.

"Hey! You're gonna make me lose my rings!! Cut it out, Amy!"

"Not until you let me take over!"

Snickering, Sonic continued to hold the controller out of her grasp with his long arm. "Nope!"

"Sonic!!" she exclaimed, inching closer and exchanging rapid glances between him and the screen.

"I mean it, Sonic! Give it to me, now!"

Sonic winced at her words, then gave her a very sly look.

A mischievous grin curved his lips as his soft green eyes lowered.

"Say that again?"

Frowning in cute frustration, Amy slammed her hands down on the carpet and pushed her nose against his.

"I SAID, give it to me, Sonic!!"

"Mm.." Sonic hummed and pressed the pause button on the controller while still holding it up.

"Huh?" Amy blinked in confusion as she watched the thick plastic slip purposely from his hand.

And within a split second later, his warm lips pressed against hers.

She hardly had anytime to blush, his actions were so sudden.

'Is this what he wanted all along?' she pondered as her eyes began to crumble to a close. 'Oh Sonic...You could have just said so...!'

"Mmm..." she cooed and hugged him closer. Unknown to her, her body reacted on its own and began rubbing against him.

He shuddered at first, but then he soon relaxed and deepened their kiss.

He had never been in any kind of relationship with any female until now.

He couldn't believe Amy still wanted to be with him for so long.

He had no experience, he had no concrete understanding of what to do to please a significant other, he had no idea where it all would take him.

To tell the truth, he never saw himself with anybody, under any circumstances.

If not for the heartfelt words Amy spoke to him yesterday, he never would have strongly reconsidered giving going out with her a shot.

--

"_Sonic!!!" Amy called, sprinting towards him with outstretched arms._

_Without thinking, Sonic enthusiastically stood up from the swing and turned towards her._

_Smiling genuinely, he spread his arms and allowed her to jump into them._

_He nearly lost his balance, she ran into him so roughly, but he quickly pushed that aside and hugged her close._

"_...Amy..." he spoke softly. His voice was warm and without any hint of surprise._

_He knew she'd look for him and he couldn't be happier._

_Giving her another squeeze, he slightly pulled away from their embrace and looked her in the eyes._

_Tears had already begun to cascade from their depths as her full viridian emeralds sparkled in the sunlight._

_She didn't say a word. Those beautiful glossy jewels were overflowing with pure declarations of deep affection; an encrypted language she dedicated only towards him to understand._

_And at that very moment, he fully accepted it, and deciphered it in its entirety with his heart._

_With a light chuckle, he put aside what he had seen that morning between her and Knuckles. Slowly, his hands reached up to cup her moistened cheeks._

"_Amy..." he whispered. "I...I'm sorry I didn't give you an answer sooner.."_

_Surprised, Amy's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened._

_Letting a sniffle pass, she brought a hand up to place over his and nuzzled against it. "...It's ok now... I...I forgive you Sonic..."_

"_You do?"_

"_Yes." she attempted to smile, but her lips continued to tremble from her tears._

_Granted they were tears of happiness, but she couldn't hep it. Sonic finally seemed to be opening upto her._

_Finally._

_Sonic silently agreed with her forgiving him, but his eyes didn't leave hers. Slowly, his eyelids lowered. Silently, he rubbed his thumbs against her soft cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers._

"_Please don't cry, Amy."_

"_It's okay..."_

"_...Amy..."_

"_No, it's really okay."_

"_...I hate seeing you cry..." he pleaded._

_Amy knew he hated seeing girls cry, but her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest if she didn't tell him how she felt._

"_Sonic, I'm crying because I love you!"_

_Shocked, Sonic sighed and closed his eyes. It wasn't so much her statement that surprised him, but the way she proclaimed it_

_He didn't know what to say back.._

"_..."_

_Amy took his silence in slight pain, but remained in his embrace._

"_Don't...don't you love me?" she asked, her simple words carrying such magnitude and innocence._

_Not knowing how to answer her, Sonic opened his eyes and returned his malachite orbs to hers._

_A second had passed and with each passing second, her expectant features began to recede._

_Sonic didn't want to disappoint her, and he didn't want to go too fast._

_So, to satiate his concerns and what she wanted, he leaned in and softly brushed his lips against hers._

_When he pulled away, her eyes were still closed and her mouth remained curved in a small oval._

_Seconds later, her sparkling emeralds danced open with an entity Sonic had never seen in her._

_Warm clear liquid wavered within her eyes as she threw her arms around her beloved and squeezed him tightly._

"_I love you, Sonic!!" she cried._

_Smiling warmly, Sonic thought over her words for a moment, then lightly kissed her forehead in silent response._

_--_

Sonic had to be honest to himself. If Amy never declared her feelings for him the way she did, he never would have given in.

He did care for Amy but, why did her finally give her an "answer" now?

He didn't want to think he just went along with it out of pity. Although he accepted her affection, a voice in the back of his mind still screamed at him to not commit.

Continuously, he ignored it and remained doing so.

"Mm...S-Sonic..."

Amy's soft yearning voice brought him out of his thoughts and he lightly broke the kiss.

Confused at first, Amy appeared hurt, then figured he didn't want to go that far yet.

Nervous and embarrassed, her cheeks warmed up and she adverted her eyes from him.

"S-Sorry, Sonic. I guess I got too carried away huh?" she timidly forced a laugh.

Returning the expression so she wouldn't feel left out, Sonic shook his head.

"...Forget about it. You didn't do anything wrong, Amy..."

At this, her features changed from anxious to accused.

"Don't give me that, Sonic. You don't have to lie to me." she spoke in a steady but serious tone.

Caught, Sonic heavily sighed. "It's like second nature, Amy. I just do it to protect--"

"Bull! Sonic, how many times do I have to tell you I can handle the things you tell me?? Just be honest with me!"

"Amy...! Calm down, the neighbors will hear!"

Enraged, Amy rose to her feet and threw the 2p controller at him. "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! Sonic, this is IMPORTANT to me! Why can't you understand that?!"

"Hey, now hold on!" Sonic followed, raising his voice a little and standing to his feet. "YOU are important to me! If it seems like I'm overprotecting to you, hey, I apologize!" He shrugged. "Some habits just die hard."

"Habits?!!" she repeated, her voice starting to get shrill in disbelief. "I think you may want to rephrase your words, Sonic!"

He grimaced. "What did I do wrong now?"

"... You're unbelievable!!"

Before Sonic could protest, a bright flash of light startled them both. Alarmed, they turned behind them, only to find themselves face to disgusted face with Shadow.

"Shadow?!!" Amy called, her voice raising in surprise.

"What are you doing in here man?" Sonic asked.

His frown deepening even more, Shadow glanced wearily between the two then curled his upper lip in disgust.

"Get the hell out of my room." he demanded in a low tone. It was so low, it took a moment for the quarreling twosome to recognize it as his own.

"B-but, Shadow...!" Amy stammered. This was Sonic's room, not his! Did he warp into the wrong room on purpose?

Ignoring the soft concerned voice, Shadow raised a clawed hand, trembling with an unseen power.

Seconds later, a flickering entity of flame and energy gathered into the shape of a sphere above his palm.

"I will not repeat myself. You two have 3 seconds."

"What!?"

"3...2..."

"Sh!t, hurry up Sonic!" Amy groused and grabbed the bewildered blue hedgehog and dragged him out of the room at top speed.

Not needing to bother watching them leave, Shadow humphed and allowed the energy to subside and dissipate.

His inflamed carmine eyes scanned the room and settled on the paused game before him.

With a thought he could destroy the system, but quickly decided against it.

But he didn't get anytime to relax either.

As he went over to pick up the 1p controller, his left ear flickered at the sound of the front door opening.

It wasn't so much that which caused his previous aggravation to return, but when he heard the familiar deep voice booming from downstairs, he clenched a taut fist, breaking the controller into threes.

--

"Hey! Anybody home??" Knuckles called, closing the door behind him with his foot.

Akai and Amethyst were still sleeping when he got to the house, so he carried them in each arm while they lay cuddled against his broad chest.

At the sound of his voice, both Amy and Sonic nearly stumbled down the steps, they were still running from Shadow's threat.

Knuckles raised an eye-brow as his eyes discreetly followed the two as they reached the bottom of the steps and caught their breath.

"Damn...If I interrupted something, you guys didn't have to to stop on my account. I can come back in a few more hours." Then he playfully chuckled looking over at Sonic. "Or should I make that 5 minutes?"

"Oh, shut up already!!" Amy exclaimed in a sharp whisper so she wouldn't wake the boys. "We didn't even do 'anything', if that's what you're implying!" Annoyed, she glanced at her significant other. "And if we were, I wouldn't let it be interrupted!"

Amused, Knuckles whistled while Sonic speechlessly stared at Amy. He could feel his face warming up and quickly tried to change the subject.

"So uh, what are you doing here so soon?"

"Hmm? Long story. I gave Rouge a call and--" he trailed off at sudden sounds above them that sounded like heavy movement.

He sucked his teeth. "Don't tell me you guys had a third person to 'join you'. That's no way to get comfortable with each other at all!" he joked, looking up at the ceiling while Sonic and Amy followed suit.

Ignoring his blunt comment, they exchanged looks and stated the obvious: "...It's Shadow..."

"What? Shadow?? Shadow's here??"

They nodded.

"Is he following me or something??" Knuckles questioned, suspiciously looking around.

"What do you mean, Knuckles?" Amy inquired, glancing nervously to Sonic.

"He lives here now."

Sonic added, nervously scratching the back of his head. "You never knew that?"

Knuckles shrugged. "Nope. Never saw him. In fact I haven't seen him since 4 years ago, not counting today."

"Oh..." Amy aimlessly responded and shot another uncomfortable look to Sonic.

Did Knuckles run into Shadow while Rouge was around? Probably not since he didn't mention seeing her, but she didn't want to risk taking any chances.

Shadow may have been a brick wall most of the time, but he was still somewhat of a friend towards her. And by the sound of things, it seemed as if Shadow heard Knuckles and left when he heard Rouge's name mentioned.

Well, Knuckles running to Shadow in his own house was one less thing to worry about for now.

"Yeah, but anyway, he was at our house earlier. Rouge said he was watching the boys while she was out."

Both Sonic and Amy let out short relieved breaths so Knuckles wouldn't catch on.

"Oh, so she wasn't home?" Amy asked and Knuckles shook his head.

At all the voices, Akai and Amethyst began to stir.

Knuckles glanced to them, then looked upto Amy with almost pleading eyes. "Could we talk about this later? I don't want to wake them up."

Already a step ahead of him, Amy had started heading up the steps. "They can sleep in my room. Come on."

Agreeing, Knuckles began to follow her and gestured to Sonic to come along as well.

Caught a little off guard, Sonic jumped. His mind was flooded with questions of what Shadow was still doing around Rouge for 2 days and Knuckles had snapped him out of it. "Sure, hang on a sec. I'll be up there!"

Knuckles eyed him wordlessly for a while, then slowly grinned. "Don't worry. After this, I'll make sure you and Amy have some alone time." he mused, and went up the stairs before Sonic could protest.

After he was gone, Sonic zipped into the kitchen and grabbed his cell phone off its charger.

He flipped it open and frantically began pressing the numerical buttons.

--


	14. Acceptance and Betrayal

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 14**

--

It was nearly dusk now. Even in betwixt the transition into night, the town and its neighbors were still filled with bustling sounds of business.

Nearly every being took part in this regardless if they wanted to or not. But there was one individual who separated himself from it all.

Perched atop a high hill that overlooked the whole city, piercing eyes of garnet absorbed the scenery with disgust.

Everything around him seemed to have a place; seemed to have a reason except for him.

He had no reason to be around others. No one wanted him.

Especially not her.

Feeling as if he had made a fool of himself, Shadow cursed his very being and existence.

It was a mistake for him to get involved in her life again.

She didn't need him, or so he thought.

"Rouge..." he uttered. Her name tumbled from his lips like an arid leaf separating from its branch and breaking apart in the wind.

His mind reeled back to the few moments he was granted to see her again and to speak with her. Her smile, her glistening eyes---they were everything to him.

There was a time she showed those most precious treasures only to him.

But what did he expect, she was married. And staying married for 4 years had to have held some importance.

Wrought completely in his downtrodden thoughts, he exhaled heavily.

He had already told himself that he would have to tell her goodbye.

He already accepted that fact.

But he didn't disregard his confession. He wanted to tell her how he felt back then and why he did what he did with not showing up for her wedding.

After he did that, he would leave. It was only fair.

He felt like such a fool leading himself on, knowing the true consequence.

Allowing another sigh to pass, he stood to his feet and aimlessly scaled the horizon before him.

Moments later, his cell rang. Carelessly, he snatched it up and checked the number.

It was Rouge.

His features hardened at this and he rested the phone at his side.

He allowed it to ring at least 3 more times, not bothering to answer it.

He had no desire to cut things off over the phone.

He had to tell her in person. He had a pretty good idea where she was.

"..." He thought to himself for a moment. Was he ready to do this?

After that thought passed, another sound emerged from his phone, but it was a text message instead.

Holding up the device, he rolled it open and recognized it to be from Sonic.

"What does he want..." he groused and opened the message.

His dejected eyes rapidly traveled from left to right repeatedly as he read the message.

"Shadow! Knux found out about you! Did you really spend two days alone with Rouge?? Knux won't be happy! I don't think you should show up here while he's here. But don't go killing yourself, alright? Text me back if you get this!"

After reading, Shadow humphed and rolled his phone closed. That message didn't even deserve wasting time to delete it.

Once that was decided, he faced the direction of Dry Lagoon and prepared to leave.

Gathering a few tufts of courage, he closed his eyes and disappeared in a flash of light.

--

7:23 pm.

Rouge sighed in disappointment as she looked at the time on her phone.

She had called Shadow 3 times within the last 5 minutes and he hadn't bothered to answer.

And if he wasn't answering, she figured he wouldn't attempt to call her back.

With another sigh, she placed the phone in the grass and brought her knees upto her chest.

Folding her arms around them, she brought them closer and rested her head.

Automatically, thoughts and memories she had shared upto this point ran rampant through her mind.

Thoughts of Shadow, her husband, the boys...even of herself.

She had to be honest with herself. Completely honest.

A tender and delicate breeze whispered through the surrounding flora and rolled over her skin.

Though the timid gale was warm, she shivered from its touch.

And gradually she began to get a headache.

'I guess that's what I get for swimming so late in the afternoon.' she thought.

Slowly, she lifted her head and brought a hand to it.

As she did, a faint glimmer of sparkling lumina caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she turned to face it.

As she did, her eyes began to widen and her mouth opened in an emotional gape.

There, nearly cast completely in the evening's darkened glow, stood Shadow.

At his presence, the wind seemed to acknowledge it and sway in its wake.

Rouge could barely believe her eyes and she had already begun to stand.

Shadow verbally said nothing as he watched her walk over to him, but his eyes carried every one of his unspoken words.

Silently, he took note of her choice of clothing. She wore a long white t-shirt that stopped at her thighs. The color of her swimwear could clearly bee seen through it. He also kept in mind that her t-shirt was dampened.

So she was swimming while she was here? He took that into consideration.

Casually, his curious eyes traveled to her face and there they lingered.

She didn't know what to say. She didn't know weather to accuse him of not answering his phone or to greet him with a welcoming smile.

But she got the feeling the reason he was suddenly there couldn't have been too good.

Nervous, she took a breath to gather what she wanted to say, but Shadow stopped her.

Confused, she looked at him with wide fleeting eyes.

And Shadow narrowed his. She was so beautiful. And worse than that, he felt as though he had betrayed her years ago.

But now, he could finally get all of that off of his chest.

"...Rouge..." he spoke. His words were airy, yet crisp. "...There's something important I need to speak with you about..."

Fear coursed through her and stabbed continuously at her heart.

What was it? Whatever it was, it made her tremble, fearing the worse.

Seeing this, his features saddened a bit, but he continued on.

"... What I'm about to tell you, you may not want to hear. But I swore to myself after I told you, I... I would leave.

"But before that, I needed to apologize to you."

"What? Apologize for what?"

"...Let me finish... ... I had no right to come into your life again, Rouge, I'm sorry. I knew you had moved on, but still I insisted on interfering. You requested help, and that is what I gave you. But now, you don't need me anymore."

"That's not true!" she blurted out.

Needless to say, she got Shadow's attention, but he disregarded it. The last thing he needed now was to get his hopes up for no reason.

"What do you mean, that's not true?"

"I...I mean... Listen to yourself, Shadow! You didn't do anything wrong, yet you're accusing yourself! There's no reason for that! Yes, I'm married and yes, I had some serious problems, but you volunteered to help me, Shadow. You're my friend... my only friend."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Rouge deeply exhaled and shifted her eyes elsewhere.

Softly, he called to her. "Rouge…look at me…"

She shook her head and continued to advert her gaze. "No I…I don't deserve any of you…especially not you, Shadow…"

"Don't say that. ...I would want to say that don't blame you. But that isn't the situation here. The truth is…you did betray your husband, Rouge. Regardless of the unsettling circumstances.

"Just because you needed to get away from everything that troubled you doesn't mean you should always stay away from it. That's just running away…"

Her eyes flew to him in an instant and her breath caught in her throat. "…Running…away…?" she barely managed to whisper.

"Yes…" Shadow lightly replied back, his tone matching hers. "And because you did that…you're allowing things to be a lot harder on yourself with those choices you've made."

Wordlessly, she looked away, then returned her attention to him. She saw an assimilation of deep passion and remorseful pain wavering in his eyes.

Pain, that she new she caused.

Now was the time to dispel it.

"I... actually have something to tell you too. But I'll wait after you're finished."

Shadow pondered this, then decided otherwise. "Why don't we just make this a conversation..."

"...Fine..." she placidly acknowledged.

"I will be completely honest with you."

"Agreed. So, I'll start. 4 years ago, where were you? Why did you leave?"

'Not that again' he grumbled in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he gave her an answer anyway.

"...I left because I couldn't bear seeing you with him..."

"And why not? You knew about the arrangements for months."

"I did."

"...Why... I needed you there with me."

"And why was that."

Now it was Rouge's turn.

"... Because if you were there, I would have known that...maybe I wasn't supposed to marry Knuckles."

Shadow was taken aback by this and his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean..."

"And on my wedding day... I needed you to be there for me."

"...To watch you marry some guy you didn't actually love back then? No thank you..."

Rouge gasped. Shadow knew? Why didn't he say anything then?

"Shadow...you knew that I didn't love him...?"

He nodded.

Anger flourished her features. "Then why did you let me marry him?!"

"It was your choice."

"..!"

"I was your friend, not your guardian. ... You can't always look to me to always save you from the choices that you make." he stated, calmly.

Rouge's eyes went wide and she took a startled step back.

She knew she was running away, just as Shadow said. The only reason she tried her chances with Knuckles was because it was expected of those around her.

She'd always hear talk of her and Knuckles were always arguing and how that showed they cared for one another. Or, that she and Knuckles both had serious interests in treasure hunting and the like. Why not give being with him a shot?

So when she did go through with it, and Shadow didn't stay around to mix things up, she felt hurt and lost. If Shadow wasn't there, then she only had one remaining option left and that was Knuckles.

Obviously enough, Knuckles was not her first choice. When her first choice backed down, Knuckles was on the rebound. But after she was married, was Shadow on the rebound now?

Her mixed feelings wrought havoc against her heart and in a fit of rage, she ran to Shadow and repeatedly pounded his chest with her fist.

"Why didn't you show up at the wedding!?" she cried. "Why! Why couldn't you just be there to say the words I was too afraid to!!?"

Shadow said nothing and allowed her to vent her frustration.

Why didn't he say it?

"It wasn't my problem, Rouge..."

The truth in his words instantly made her freeze. Shivering, she dared a look into his eyes. Love and hurt looked back at her.

Shadow felt bad that she was so upset, he really did. But, it was all upto her. Because of her fear to speak up at such an important and decisive moment, 4 years of obligation followed.

Not love, obligation.

She was tricking herself into thinking she loved Knuckles when she really was bitter after their marriage. To further cloud the truth, she gave him 2 boys and he loved them. She loved them too. But they didn't bring her and Knuckles any closer together.

That was her fault. Finding Shadow and allowing him back into her life again was something she still yearned for. She indirectly used his desire to help her as an anchor to keep him around.

One day, she had decided that she'd get the nerve to tell him he was still on her mind. And today seemed as good a day as any.

But now because of her foolishness, she just may lose Shadow again.

Her body began to shiver even more at this reality and she fiercely wrapped her arms around Shadow in a taut hug.

A jolt ran through him due to his body adjusting to the cold moistness of her clothing, but he controlled it.

While she sobbed against his chest, he lovingly spread his arms around her shivering frame and returned her embrace.

She had been living a lie for 4 years.

4 years.

For that sort of betrayal, she deserved to be alone. At least until she learned from her mistakes.

But now that she confessed, it was once again on him.

He chose his words carefully and tenderly as to not upset her even more.

Gingerly, he curled a lock of her hair around a finger as he spoke.

"... I've always... always loved you...Rouge" he whispered, closing his eyes as if its veil would protect him from being humiliated in his moment of bashfulness.

"...The reason I left on that day was because I couldn't bear to be around you either, not just him. When you decided to marry him, anything I ever wanted to tell you was trampled on.

"It just so happened that after the years had passed and I moved in with that insipid hedgehog, I realized how miserable I really was. I allowed myself to have one more chance to make things right and settle my feelings with you...regardless of what your answer was.

"I would have accepted both rejection and approval. But I had to just settle these emotions before I moved on...or gave up."

Rouge was speechless as she clung onto every word he said, believing every word. Trying to laugh in their irony, she let a sniffle pass and looked up at him.

"I guess we were both at fault, huh?" she forced herself to chuckle.

A small sympathizing smile smoothed Shadow's lips and he nodded slightly.

"Yeah... I guess were are..."

Chuckling again, Rouge's expression changed from remorseful to genuine and she gave him a warm gentle smile.

"...Thank you..." she whispered.

"...For what..." he whispered back.

A soft breeze ruffled through the trees and peacefully rolled over their skin.

They had been so focused on each other, neither one realized that night had already fallen.

The air was crisp and the moon was already high in the sky.

Intrigued, Shadow made the mistake of peering directly into her eyes. Warm and inviting aquamarine gems looked back at him, cradling the reflection of the pale moonlight in its seductive brilliance.

Beautiful.

And from the semblance of his florid amorous opals, the admiring bat found herself deeply immersed within his visual affection.

So many thoughts ran through her mind at once, she couldn't think clearly.

She owed Shadow so much for just the past few days she spent with him.

She never had a friend like him who wanted to listen to her problems to help her out and have her feel comfortable.

Granted, Knuckles attempted to do the same, but she disregarded his way.

For those 4 years, she took her frustration out on her husband and gave him a hard time because they were bound by vows.

Bound by vows of which, she could have terminated before they were solidified, but she was too foolish to do it herself.

She hated to think of Shadow as being her crutch, but in many ways, he was. Without his direct influence, she wouldn't have done a lot of things she wound up regretting later.

Secretly, she adored Shadow. She always had and nothing or no one could replace or change that.

But because of her own foolishness, she made Shadow suffer too. And her husband, as well as herself.

But she could fix that.

She wanted her children to be happy. She wanted herself to be happy…she wanted Shadow and even Knuckles to be happy…

To be happy…to be consumed and engulfed in an unexplainable warmth…

Warmth…

The two of them had become so submerged in their confessions and sincerity that they failed to realize their mouths were quarreling for dominance in a very deeply heated kiss.

Their eager bodies seemed to act on their own as each movement gave hunger to another yearning.

Rouge pressed her body against Shadow and his eager hands smoothed over her curves and crept discreetly under her t-shirt.

An airy and lyrical moan drifted from Rouge as she slid her hands upto the back of his head and brought him closer. Nibbling at his bottom lip, she begged for an oral invasion to deepen their kiss even more.

He gave her what she requested.

As their endearment ensued, Shadow allowed his fingers to tease her in the most responsive places of her well-endowed womanhood.

Expectant moans were his reward and he continued his display of hungry affection.

Slowly, he slid his hands beneath her and lifted her upto his waist.

Without protest, her strong legs engulfed his sturdy body and her hands gripped at his dark quills.

Discreetly, he rubbed his eagerness against her.

When he received no objection, he lightly tugged the bottom of her bikini to the side and nuzzled the tip of his pulsing desire at her inviting warmth.

Rouge was still in her own world, disoriented and drunk in the compassion of the moment.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that a quick jolting reaction from her body caused her to slip out of her sweet delusion.

Her dazed eyes racing, she gazed straight into Shadow's eyes and witnessed nothing but love.

Not a hint of lust hid within his eyes. His expression was dear, genuine and only shown towards her.

And she loved that.

Warm tears of joy began to set themselves free from her moist eyes and she hugged him sweetly.

"Please..." she pleaded in a near breathless whisper. "Please, Shadow..."

Eyeing her silently, Shadow said nothing in reply, but watched as her expression changed from comfort to ecstasy.

Gradually, he too became indulged in their spontaneous intimacy and lightly closed his eyes.

The wind continued to make its quiet and tantalizing wake through the area and playfully surround itself around all things living.

Minutes passed that seemed like hours as Shadow continued to give himself to Rouge and she completely accepted him.

Moments later, they both reached a height of their newfound level of love and clung to the other as ripples of their deliquescent copulation were exchanged.

As they caught their breath, they shared another kiss and Shadow hugged her tightly.

Slowly, he brought her down to the grass.

Smiling mischievously, she laid on her back, and spread her wings to remove the factor of any discomfort. Tugging at his white tuft of fur, she beckoned to him with her left hand.

Wordlessly, Shadow returned her smile, but then it began to fade when his eyes trailed over to the rings on her finger.

Of course, she was still bound to another man, but he disregarded that.

He didn't want to think of what would happen after this night.

This night and this moment, he wanted to be hers.

For this night and at this moment, they were no longer committing adultery, they were just another man and woman expressing their true feelings to one another.

Clasping his hand over the very evidence he knew he had interfered with, Shadow let denial seep into his mind and cognitively made Rouge his—and only his.

Quietly, he gestured in slight movements for her to lay on her side.

Once she did, she relaxed her wings and watched him bring one of her legs over his shoulder.

His impassioned eyes studied her luscious and delectable form and discreetly, he began to move his hips.

Set free to bask in their love, Rouge shut her eyes and gently called his name.

Shadow watched as she moved her head from side to side, not caring in the least of its entanglement and assimilation with the grass beneath her.

Every worry, every complaint, ever dilemma that would be caused from them due to their actions—all of that didn't matter now.

Shadow tenderly paced every breath, every coo, every sweet sound that lifted from Rouge's being with his own rhythm.

And for the second time that night, their symphonic propensity was announced to the night sky above.

Panting, Shadow's weary body fell next to Rouge in the grass and he hugged her closely.

Also catching her breath, Rouge clung to him and nuzzled in his chest fur.

A light gale passed over them, carrying a twinge of frigidness. Rouge shivered a bit from it and Shadow did the same.

But then his body shook again with a bit more force than before.

Rouge wanted to face him, but instead she gave him another loving squeeze and closed her eyes. She already knew how he felt.

For the first time in years, Shadow shed sincere tears of longing and acceptance.

Shuddering again, he kissed her on the cheek and allowed his tepid tears to pass.

"... I love you, Rouge..." he whispered candidly. "...I love you..."

"I love you too, Shadow." she honestly whispered back. And she meant every word.

Under the witness of the heavens and celestial bodies that hovered above, Shadow and Rouge slept peacefully in the comfort of each other's embraces.

--

In the middle of the night, Knuckles woke up with a start.

Sonic had let Knuckles use his bed, along with his sons, while he slept in Amy's room.

Sonic made it very clear that he was sleeping on the floor while Amy had the bed, but Knuckles let it slide.

Quickly, the disgruntled echidna checked the small boys.

They were sleeping soundly on either side of him.

Relieved, he glanced at the time and frowned drowsily when he saw it was after midnight already.

Amy would have her interview later today. If he didn't see her off, she'd have a fit so he had to be ready for that.

Sleepily, he looked around for Rouge, but remembered she was still on vacation and he wasn't at their home.

Thinking for a moment, he then chuckled and shrugged off the sudden discomfort he felt.

"Must have just been a bad dream." he reassured himself and managed to drift back off to sleep.


	15. Hopes and Failure

_**A/N: It's been 4 years since I started this story...and I'm nowhere near the midway point yet!**_

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 15**

**--**

Hours passed as the vast darkened sky exchanged its ebony cloak with a welcoming warm-tinted hue.

It was early morning and the sun's presence meekly peeked over the horizon before it.

Awake at such an hour, Knuckles hardly blinked at the rising sun. His steady and distant eyes remained plastered to the darkened ceiling in the room.

He managed to get a few moments of sleep before another disturbing nightmare woke him up.

And since then, he couldn't get back to sleep and gave up trying.

Quiet shades of orange played about his stiffened features and glossed over his still gaze.

'Rouge...'

He had thought of her constantly. He hadn't admitted it openly before to Amy nor Sonic, but he missed her immensely when he came to their house.

Laying in bed without Rouge left him feeling slightly empty and alone.

But he wondered if it was her warmth next to him he missed, her touch, or just her.

His thoughts lingered less on the latter and more on the first two. As frivolous as that seemed, he did love his wife.

He just loved certain aspects of her more...

Silently, his eyes trailed over to his sons sleeping on either sides of him on top of his arms.

Amethyst lay snuggled against his broad biceps while Akai rested with his arms crossed and only let his head lay against his father's shoulder.

Being with them silently soothed his discomfort and he gently brought them closer to his bare chest without disturbing them.

Lovingly, he planted a soft kiss on both of their foreheads then laid his head back on the pillows let the ceiling occupy his gaze yet again.

Thoughts of his wife wavered back into his mind and his warm features faded into a distant fixture.

Just what was she doing on that vacation?

The thought crossed his mind to give her a call, but he didn't bother.

Rouge needed her space for whatever reason, he figured. Maybe after this getaway of hers, she'd come back fully refreshed and forget about ever finding that band in his dreads and accusing him of cheating on her.

Maybe she'd be overjoyed to see him and fly into his arms... so he could take her home and throw her in the bed and plunge into her until the next morning.

A light smile edged his lips at that last thought.

He knew all of this was just wishful thinking, but he was sure Rouge would change for the better at some point.

And perhaps, she would be willing to lovingly fly into his arms as if her love for him was one of the greatest things she held for him and only him.

Realistically, he knew she practically hated the fact they were married so fast. And maybe she was even upset that they were married in general.

Without realizing, he shook his head.

He refused to believe that.

While it may hold true that he felt for her and loved her more than she ever loved him, there was that slither of some kind of affection he knew she had for him.

And as long as that still lingered within her capricious heart, Knuckles felt he still had a chance.

A chance in her showing him as much love as she possibly could.

As much love as he deserved.

He wouldn't even care for an apology. He just wanted her to return his love.

When they first married, he had noticed her hesitance with showing her feelings. It was almost as if her heart was torn between himself and something else.

Not knowing any better, Knuckles thought it was her freedom. And while that was part of the reason for her distasteful moods and snappy attitudes towards him a lot, that wasn't the whole reason.

He sighed. His head began to hurt from being wrought with so many different speculations and deliberations. He placed a mitt to his temples to massage them without waking Akai and led his burdened violet eyes to the clock atop a dresser.

5:30 A.M.

His body shuddered at how early it was. And as it did, his mind drifted to images of Amy as he figured she would probably but up around this time.

And as if he called it before it happened, he could hear sounds of movement coming from another room and the muffled sound of soft footsteps briskly heading downstairs.

A faint hint of a smile curved his lips and he closed his eyes.

That girl...

Always going the extra mile for what she believed in.

Sometimes Knuckles wondered if she were just a little older and they had met under different circumstances, then maybe things would be better off in both their lives.

Amy wouldn't have to worry about her boyfriend's hesitant feelings and Knuckles wouldn't have to worry about his wife's.

Come to think of it, their situations were similar again.

At first, they both had ones they loved who didn't seem to love them in the same way they loved them.

Now they both had ones that felt something for them but they weren't too sure what.

Did Sonic even love Amy?

It wasn't any of Knuckles' business to pry. Sure he made jokes about the two of them, but it still wasn't his place to know their business.

Suddenly, a precipitant whirring sound buzzed in the room and shattered his distant speculative wandering.

Instinctively looking down at his pants pocket, he instantly realized that his cell was vibrating.

Hastily, he reached down to fish it out of its cloth inventory without waking his sons.

His violet orbs squinted at the number then widened.

Rouge was calling him?

Without wasting a second, he accepted the call and placed the phone to his ear.

"He--" he began in ecstatic surprise that she called him, but his exuberance dropped immediately when he heard the click on the other end.

Dumbfounded, he took the device away from his ear and stared at it as if it could answer the silent pain and confusion written across his face.

When it all sunk in, he sighed deeply, then sadly chuckled to himself. "Who am I fooling. I knew it was too good to be true that she would actually want to talk to me... Dammit... Got my hopes all high and everything..."

He sighed again and glanced over at Akai and then Amethyst still sleeping soundly.

"Sorry boys. Your mommy's being a real b!tch right now. Hard to believe she's even your mother sometimes!" he forced himself to chuckle, then stopped abruptly, pondering the last thing he said.

Then shook it off.

He hadn't been intimate with any other female and he had mostly kept a close eye on her after they got married and after she had the boys, so there was nothing to worry about on her side either.

But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling she was hiding something from him with this whole vacation of hers. But he dismissed that thought instantaneously.

He trusted his wife.

Secretly, he waited for the day for her to wake up and return that gesture towards him.

All the more reason for the to of them to start moving away from the city.

One day soon, he'd propose to her again and they could have a second and more appropriate wedding than their first one. It seemed a bit rushed to him and he knew if he felt that, she had to really feel that way.

"Don't worry, I'll make it upto you, Rouge." he silently vowed to himself.

Just as he reached down to put the phone back in his pocket, it vibrated in 3 short bursts this time.

The action caught Knuckles off guard and he dropped it on Amethyst.

The smallish echidna woke up with a sleepy groan.

"Sorry, buddy." Knuckles whispered to his son and held the phone upto his face, squinting again to see the number.

Rouge again. And this time she sent him a text message.

Knuckles' expectant orchids traveled quickly over every word, every sentence and mumbled them to himself under his breath.

"Hey Knuckie. Sorry I haven't been in contact with you lately, but I wanted to let you know that I am enjoying myself here. How are the boys? I hope they're fine."

Knuckles frowned a bit after reading this. "Knuckie?" he repeated with a disdainful half-frown. "She knows I hated that awful nickname of hers... That woman just loves to make me suffer doesn't she..."

Sighing, he continued to read.

"Anyway, I wanted to let you know not to wait up for me. But you will see me sometime soon.

...If the situation allows it."

He paused, taking in that last statement. " 'If the situation allows it' ? What situation? ...That's an awfully bold statement for her... I don't remember her ever saying things like that." He shrugged. "Maybe the vacation really is something she needed... It definitely seems to get getting to her..."

His eyes scanned down to read the remaining contents of the message, but a tiny voice interrupted him.

"Daddy..." Amethyst prodded, tugging at his father's dreads.

Tearing his eyes away from the long message, Knuckles turned to his son. "Yes, Amethyst?"

"Can...Can I get some water?" he asked, looking at his father with wide plum-colored eyes.

Knuckles' expression softened looking at his child and a warm smile brushed across his face. "Sure, son." He chuckled lightly and patted Amethyst's head.

Slowly, Knuckles sat up and gingerly slid his arm from under Akai's head.

Amethyst crawled down the middle of the bed to the edge while Knuckles swung his legs over one side and stood up.

Eagerly, but still a bit drowsy, the smallish echidna took hold of his father's mitt and grasped it securely.

Knuckles glanced down at him, then closed out the message and put the phone back in his pocket.

He gave one caring and lingering glance to his other son, still sleeping proudly with his arms crossed, before chuckling warmly and heading out the room with Amethyst.

--

Away in the morning sun-kissed tropics of Dry Lagoon, a lone couple lay cuddled in the other's embrace.

Rouge lay softly in the grass with her body facing Shadow and her hands embedded within the tangles of his chest fur. Light winds brushed past her nude form and mingled with her thick and matted locks of hair.

Shadow rested next to her on his back with an arm laced around her waist.

His rich carmine eyes glinted from the rising glow of the sun as they lingered on the digits of Rouge's cell phone.

Staring at it for a few moments more, he smirked to himself.

When no reply from Knuckles was received, Shadow laid the phone down above Rouge's head where she had it last night.

Wordlessly, he entwined his deceptive hand with one of hers and grasped it firmly.

He didn't contact Knuckles posing as her to make himself seem like the bad guy. But if he knew anything about her husband, he was bound to get restless and come looking for her.

And he had every right to. She was his wife after all.

But Shadow wasn't ready to run into him again, nor was he ready to leave Rouge just yet.

And from the serene look glimmering across her features in pure solace, Shadow knew she wasn't ready to leave him either.

For one of the first times since 4 years ago, had he seen her look so happy and relieved.

And seeing her like that caused a warm happiness to swell in his chest.

Silently, he leaned towards her and nuzzled his lips against her forehead before dipping low and sampling another taste from her rosy lips.

"Mm... Kn.." she breathed, but stopped herself when Shadow's scent wavered into her nose.

Luckily for her, Shadow took her folly simply as an 'ngh' sound.

Slowly, she lifted her lightly colored eye-lids and captured Shadow's calm and inviting expression within her glistening aqua jewels.

And the moment she did, the actions of last night came rushing back to her and she smiled broadly without realizing.

"Good morning..." she spoke softly.

"...Good morning..." Shadow whispered back and claimed her lips again in a slow and delicious heated kiss.

'I love you...' he thought, as he squeezed her hand and pressed further into their kiss.

She responded with slight eagerness of her own and giggled against his mouth as he rolled on top of her.

--

The faint glimmer of sparkling daybreak shifted through the windows of Amy's room and played about the walls. A soft glowing blanket of warm sunrise spilled in speckles over the dozing hedgehog on the floor and Amy's empty bed.

A low grumble escaped Sonic's lips as he turned on his side and gradually opened his heavy eyes.

With a yawn, he aimlessly scanned over Amy's bed and had to blink twice to realize she wasn't there.

"Amy...?" his voice hushed in a faint whisper. Drowsily, he allowed another yawn to pass as his tired eyes trailed over to the clock on her nightstand.

The glowing red numbers seemed to glare "6:45 AM" at him.

Blinking naturally, he looked towards her shadowy bed and failed to fight back a deep yawn.

"Amyy..." he called with his mouth wide open in a yawn.

The soft shuffling of feet whispered into the room and padded by Sonic.

"Morning Amy" he managed to drag out from an utter to a yawn.

"Morning, Sonic" Amy's soft voice responded quickly as she rummaged through the top drawer of her dresser.

Today was the actual day of her interview and she couldn't bear to be even half a minute late.

While she searched for clean clothing, Sonic finally pushed himself off the floor just enough to prop his body weight on an elbow.

His heavy beryl eyes aimlessly trailed upto his rosy significant other. "Isn't your interview a couple of hours away, Amy?"

Annoyed, she sighed. "It sure is. But I want to make sure I get the job! So I've gotta look my best!" she beamed with a wink.

Sonic yawned.

"Cover your mouth" Amy lightly scolded, not bothering to look at him.

A soft chuckle fluttered in his throat. And just to spite her, he yawned again without covering his mouth. "This is...my house..."

Amy half-smiled. "Keep that up and you may end up with something in there!"

Sonic closed his eyes, still relishing in his drowsiness, then opened one lazily at her.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" she responded, placing her hands on her haunches.

The two of them continued to playfully glare at the other until Amy started to laugh. It wasn't long before Sonic followed suit.

"Oh Sonic..." Amy smiled. She loved the warm feelings her body received when she was around him. If she didn't know any better, she was sure she was rapidly falling in love with him with each passing moment.

Yawning again, Sonic began to stretch on his back. "Well, when that time comes, make sure it's a chillidog with extra onions, would you?"

She snickered and stepped closer to him. Her viridian eyes glistened as she peered down at him. "How about something with a little more _fiber_?" she asked, her voice littered with mischievousness.

Eyes closed, he managed to raise a brow. "As long as it doesn't give me a stomachache, then..." he paused to let another yawn pass "... good lu..augghk..?"

His words were immediately clogged as something soft and silky fell into his mouth.

His eyes shot open and he immediately sat up.

Amy couldn't stop laughing as she watched him reach upto his mouth and pull out a lacy pair of light pink panties.

Instead of words, Sonic could only gasp as he felt his face start to warm up.

Bashfully, he looked to Amy for an explanation. A hint of confusion swam in his eyes.

Once her laughter subsided into chuckles, Amy bent down and snatched up her panties.

A sly gleam sparkled in her eyes as she waved them in front of him.

"The next time you don't cover your mouth when you yawn, you'll get something else dropped in there. " Grinning darkly, she knelt beside him on the floor and nuzzled her lips against his ear. "And I promise it'll be worth your while..."

All the color nearly drained from his face as he sat perfectly still with a dumbfounded look spread across his features.

Suddenly, he began to feel a bit light-headed as he felt a rushing stream of warmth snake from his head to elsewhere.

Embarrassed, he crossed his legs and leaned back on his hands.

Amy became fully aware of his sudden arousal and inched her face closer to his.

Although she appeared confident, inside she was terrified.

All these emotions she felt were still very new to her. Sure, she had been wanting to be with Sonic for years, but now they were actually a couple.

And now that that "impossible" goal had been obtained, she felt so nervous of what levels their relationship would go.

But no matter where, she still loved him and wanted to be his.

Gently, she placed a hand on one of his and closed her eyes.

Sonic could feel the quills on his back start to quiver as Amy's moist lips brushed across his and her chest rubbed against his.

"...A...Amy..." he whispered. His body suddenly tensed up when her legs crept up on either side of him.

His forehead began to bead with cold sweat while he eyed her robe start to loosen and fan past her legs and part at the tops of her thighs.

"Sonic..." she cooed, slipping her tongue against his lips. Sonic did nothing at first while she silently begged for entry.

A soft warmth he had never felt before brushed over his leg and it didn't take him long to realize she wasn't wearing anything under that robe...

Overwhelmed, his body shuddered a bit.

It took almost all he had not to leap off that floor and bolt out of the room.

He had to remind himself that they were a couple now. Kissing and fondling was something that couples did.

So why act so afraid about it?

'Calm down...' he mentally scolded himself. '...Just calm down...'

Minutes had already passed, and Sonic still seemed hesitant about returning her endearing actions.

Pulling back just enough to look at him, Amy's full eyes began to narrow. A wavering film of liquid glistened in them from his indirect rejection.

Once he felt the heated air between them rapidly start to melt away, Sonic bashfully opened his eyes.

To his relief and also to his dismay, Amy had given up in her advances and started to stand to her feet.

She quickly turned her back to him and tightened the ribbon around her robe.

In the midst of her personal struggle with trying to be a good girlfriend, mastering her patience and failing, Amy muttered something incoherent and stormed out of the room.

Alone, Sonic stared blankly at the doorway she left through. The only sound he could hear was his quick and deepened breathing.

Amy had given him quite a scare. But what was he doing? Why did he always clam up when she wanted to show her affections to him?

He couldn't understand.

And now she was crying.

He cursed himself for making her cry and immediately pushed himself to his feet.

Once he made it to the door, he could hear the distinct sound of the shower being started.

With the guilt of making her sad weighing heavily within him, he zipped down the stairs and into the bathroom.

Amy didn't even have time to acknowledge his presence when she felt her body be whisked around one second and then her back pressed against the wall the next.

A gasp was all that managed to slip from her mouth before Sonic's covered it hungrily.

Firmly, he held both of her wrists against the wall on either side of her head and continued to kiss her deeply as best as he knew how with his inexperience.

A small moan escaped her and sudden jolt shot through her body from the warm friction she felt from Sonic's hips.

Was Sonic actually, and willingly, engaging in foreplay with her?

Embarrassed by his mistake of grinding her, Sonic whispered a stammering apology and released his grip on her wrists.

Regaining her freedom, Amy aggressively threw her arms around his head and pulled him into a hot and dominating kiss.

Eagerly, she grabbed his hands and pressed them to her chest.

Sonic hesitated from the sudden touch of her skin but when he didn't pull away from her, she led his hands downward.

Sonic felt his senses start to slip from him as his head spun with dizziness from the passion and spontaneousness of this moment.

A low and hungry growl fluttered in Amy's throat as she gripped his hands around her soft curves.

Finally she was getting what she wanted the two of them to experience for years! She needed this so badly, it hurt.

As Sonic's hands continued to fumble with her clothing, the loose tops of it began to slide down, exposing her bare shoulders.

"Yes..." she murmured, grasping a tuft of his quills in one hand while using the other to guide one of his to her thigh. "Sonic...please..." she begged breathlessly.

As the seconds passed, Sonic had begun to leave his insecurities aside and simply act on instinct to please this girl.

He could feel bad about it later.

She wanted it. It was painfully clear she did. He wasn't forcing anything on her. If nothing else, she was almost forcing him.

But he didn't mind that.

Before he realized what was happening, he had lifted her up against the wall and she had both legs wrapped around his waist.

"Sonic...please hurry..." she moaned, trying to press her need into him.

Her moistened warmth nudged against him and his abdomen was tickled by the hint of fuzz.

Somehow, Sonic managed to regain a slither of his senses to find his voice. "A-Amy..."

"Y-Yes, Sonic...?" she asked in more of an airy gasp than mere words.

Gingerly, his lips nuzzled against hers. "I...I..."

"Say it..." she coaxed in an alluring hiss and kissed him softly. "Say that you love me..."

Sonic stopped breathing. He realized the impact her words carried and the same impact he had to deliver.

Hugging her closer to him and slightly straying her back from the wall, he buried his face in her shoulder.

She shuddered as he brushed his lips against it. "I... Amy, I... ...you..."

She shivered from excitement in what she thought she heard in broken sentences.

But, had he really said the whole thing or did he skip a word?

"Wh-what did you say to me...?"

His body shook lightly and he lifted his heavy head from its comforting hiding spot.

Facing his fears, as well as her passion-induced half-lidded eyes, Sonic's soft emeralds buried themselves into hers.

"I said...I lo--"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! DADDYYYYYYY!!"

The sudden childish shriek rang out and tore Sonic and Amy apart in an instant.

Sonic dropped Amy to her feet and she fell into him and lost her balance harshly enough to send them both spiraling to the tub.

Both of them fell in half-way, Sonic on top of Amy, and started squirming to stand back up.

"DADDY!!" Amethyst's tiny cute voice hollered again and a barreling of heavy footsteps bounded down the hall, followed by a flustered Knuckles.

"What is it , Amethyst??" he asked with urgency in his tone, and only saw his son.

"In there!" Amethyst cried, and pointed into the bathroom.

Knuckles' frantic and wild eyes followed his son's direction, only to shrink in size at what he saw.

Sonic's hips were bucking briskly against Amy's bottom as they both hung over the tub.

"Sonic, move already!!" Amy shouted, trying to push her way out of the slippery tub with her fingertips while Sonic tried the same.

Needless to say, it wasn't working. His fingers kept slipping, and his body kept colliding into hers.

"I'm trying to Amy! But, I think we're stuck!"

"Stuck?!" her eyes began to flare. "You better get us out of here!"

Watching them toil fruitlessly to get out of the tub, Knuckles threw his head back and laughed heartily.

"HAHAHAHA!! This is perfect!"

Hearing his voice, Amy swore loudly and managed to push Sonic off of her so she could push herself out.

He landed on the floor rug with a muffled "oomph" and quickly moved out the way when Amy landed not too far from him on the rug.

Her bangs were drenched with water from the shower and she angrily flicked them on top of her head.

Her face glowing a bright red, she glared at Knuckles, pointing an accusing finger at him. "SHUT UP AND GET OUT, KNUCKLES!!"

Knuckles didn't reply. In fact, he couldn't. He was too busy laughing.

Sonic said nothing at first but meekly watched his crazed girlfriend shout at the older echidna.

Amethyst only watched the adults with wide and amused eyes.

Then he too started laughing because his daddy was.

Amy had had enough!

Scowling, she glared down at the smallish echidna. "Amethyst, just because your oaf of a father is laughing doesn't mean you should laugh too!"

Being scolded, the tiny echidna gasped and hid behind his father.

"Whoa whoa, hold on Amy. Just calm your happy tail down..." Knuckles chuckled, his lips curved in a smirk.

"Don't get mad at a child. It was your fault for leaving the door wide open."

Amy humphed and turned her head away from Knuckles. She was completely unaware that her robe was still lazily framing her exposed shoulders.

Knuckles' eyes lingered there for a moment before shifting behind Amy to Sonic.

Instead of remaining dazed, Sonic pointed in front of him, towards the shower and mouthed. "Wait for me downstairs!"

Knuckles blinked at the request then nodded subtly enough for Amy to ignore it and for Sonic to understand. Just what was that crazy hedgehog planning?

"Ewww daddy she's naked!!" Amethyst's small voice whined from behind his father.

Smiling, Knuckles turned to his son and knelt down to meet his height.

Warmly, he patted the young boy's head. "That's my boy...!"

Amy blinked. "WHAT?!"

Grinning, Knuckles stood to his feet. "At the tender age of 2, my son has the knack for finding the brighter side in life. He'll become a fine treasure hunter...!" he boasted proudly, still laughing.

Amy started to turn bright red and shook angrily. "GET OUT!!" Amy roared, pushing Knuckles out the door.

Laughing, the older male took his son with him downstairs.

Groaning in annoyance and slight embarrassment, Amy closed her eyes trying to build up the strength to face Sonic. As she turned to face him, she felt a slight breeze flutter past her.

And when she opened her eyes, Sonic was gone.

Dismayed, her body slouched in disappointment. First she gets laughed at by Knuckles, then Sonic runs out and leaves her alone...again.

Sighing deeply, she ran a hand through her hair and gave up for the second time that morning.

Facing the shower, the form of another caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she gazed over in its direction.

A smirking Akai stood in the doorway watching her. All the commotion from his daddy had woken him up and he quietly snuck down the hall.

Amy said nothing to him for a moment, guessing he had just woken up and wasn't spying on her.

But the flickering telltale smirk on his face told her otherwise.

She pursed her lips together tightly in a thin line.

"Is there a problem, Akai...?" Her lingering anger accented every word.

He quickly shook his head, ignoring his thick dreads smacking him in the face. "No. Not yet Miss Amy."

Her eyes narrowed as she instantly felt her blood boil. She could imagine Knuckles saying something exactly like that with an intentional double meaning.

Those boys were definitely his. In every way. Part of this relaxed her because no hint of that snobby bat was present within them, but another part of that vexed her.

Curse those strong echidna genes.

Without even bothering to tell that child to leave, Amy simply walked over to the door and closed it sharply in his face.

As soon as Knuckles made it downstairs, Sonic grasped him by the shoulder and tried to fling him on the couch.

But the flustered hedgehog wasn't strong enough to follow through with the motion and Knuckles merely bumped into the edge of it instead.

"Sonic, what is your--"

"Thank you man, thank you!" Sonic cheered, trying to contain how relieved he actually was so Amy wouldn't hear him.

Aghast, Knuckles blinked twice and pushed the hedgehog away when he tried to hug him.

"Whoa whoa! Hands off, Sonic. I'm shirtless!"

Still excited from having a reason to escape the pressure Amy had put on him from expecting him to take her, Sonic let loose a large whoosh of air.

Laughing nervously, he sunk down to the carpet and plopped on his bottom.

Amethyst made it down the steps around this time and glanced over at his daddy, then shifted his attention to Sonic.

"What's the matter, Mister ...uhm..." he paused cutely to try and remember Sonic's name.

He and his brother never really saw him that much in comparison to how much they've seen Amy.

"Sonic", the exhausted blue hedgehog said as Knuckles said "Idiot."

Amethyst gulped, not knowing which name to go by but naturally, went with his father's judgment.

"Mister Idiot!"

Knuckles chuckled while Sonic smiled. He was too relieved to even care.

But Knuckles couldn't say the same.

With slow heavy strides, he stepped over to Sonic and crossed his arms.

"The hell's wrong with you?! "

Sonic blinked innocently and opened his mouth to speak, then stopped himself. He glanced to Amethyst and then back to Knuckles, silently signaling to him that he was swearing with his young son in the room.

Knuckles took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, then looked to Amethyst.

"Son, go get yourself that glass of water."

Amethyst nodded. "Ok daddy!" he chirped and scampered off into the kitchen.

Sonic leaned to the side, looking past Knuckles to watch how the small child would reach the cupboards.

When he saw him grab a chair and push it to the dishwasher then stand on top of it to open it instead of the cupboards, Sonic nodded to himself.

"Smart kid."

"I know." Knuckles replied, opening his violet eyes half way, as if he were partially in thought.

"I guess he gets that from his mother. I can't see you being too smart about anything..."

"Is that an insult?"

Sonic chuckled. "Not really. It's the story of your life, Knucklehead."

"Shut up." Knuckles replied half-heartedly.

Sonic caught on immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Rouge." Knuckles spoke simply.

One name was all he had to say and Sonic understood.

Then all of a sudden, he jumped as a thought hit him.

Shadow was with Rouge!

At least he was a few days ago. Actually, Sonic didn't know what Shadow did after he texted him to stay away from her.

But he didn't come back to the house.

He wondered if Knuckles knew anything.

He started to ask, then mentally kicked himself. If Shadow had done anything to or with Rouge, telling Knuckles like this was the last thing to do.

Besides there was no proof anything was going on between the two.

Or at least, Sonic hoped.

Saying nothing, he let Knuckles continue.

The older of the two stared into space a bit, then dropped is arms at his sides. "I don't know what's going on with her... But I'm not going to bother her until she's done with this...'vacation'."

"Oh?" Sonic spoke up, instantly interested and nervous at the same time. He chose his words carefully. "What do you think its all about?"

Knuckles pondered for a moment. "...I think she wants to get away from me..." he muttered softly, as if thinking aloud. "I don't know" he stated at a more audible level. "Maybe she just needs a rest. I'll admit the boys and I have been a bit of a handful. And with her thinking that I got fired from job, that's more than enough to drive someone up a wall...don't you think?"

Sonic made a sound of agreement, but he wasn't really sure how to answer that question.

"Hmm..." Knuckles thought. His dark eyes glimmered with a glassy film as he continued to linger on the situation.

Then after a while, he sighed heavily and threw his arms up. For the moment, he gave up coming up with a solution.

"I give up. ...I'll just talk to her about it whenever she's ready to come back...I guess."

"I guess that really is all you can do at this point..." Sonic added.

His beryl eyes watched Knuckles as he went over to the couch and flopped down.

Then he quickly stood up as if he remembered something and headed into the kitchen.

Moments later, Knuckles and Amethyst came out, with the younger echidna skipping happily with his half full glass of water.

At this, Sonic decided to stand to his feet.

He knew Knuckles was torn from the way Rouge really saw him and wanted her to return his heartfelt feelings.

Knuckles... he must be going through more than he realizes.

And from this thought, Sonic cringed. He realized that he and Amy were going through a similar situation, with her probably feeling the way Knuckles does towards Rouge with him.

Sonic knew he wasn't being the best boyfriend to her, but he did care for her.

He just...couldn't...

"Couldn't what?" he whispered softly for only his ears to hear.

He refused to say.

"You again?? Get out of here, Akai!"

Knuckles, Sonic and Amethyst stopped what they were doing and darted their attention to the stairwell.

A grinning Akai bounded down the steps, much like his father would, and jumped off the next to last one.

Not too far behind him, Amy emerged.

Fully clothed and accentuated with make up that caused both older males mouths to drop open.

Much to her discomfort, she declared to herself that she kind of looked like Rouge when she last looked in the mirror.

Make-up wise, though.

Her hair was curled inwards at the ends and she had a small red clip on one side.

Her face was lightly powdered and brought out the sheen in her radiant red eye shadow and long eyelashes.

Light splashes of blush played about her cheeks and emphasized the plump red color of her lipstick and gloss.

She wore a thick gold necklace about her collarbone with a cute short white jacket with black and gold stripes on the sleeves and pink tank top that latched to her curves gently.

Her small hips sported a red belt and a black frilly mini skirt with white and gold trim. Thick gold bracelets occupied both her arms.

White sheer stockings clung to her legs and flowed silkily into red thick-heeled platforms.

"Woooooow" Sonic mouthed while Knuckles went "Damn, Amy!"

Akai and Amethyst exchanged boyish grins and shocked expressions at hearing their daddy swear.

Enjoying the compliments, Amy giggled sweetly to herself at the attention and spun in a small circle.

"So, what do you think? Am I a bit overdressed?" she asked honestly.

Sonic was too shocked to speak but shook his head quickly, no.

Knuckles laughed. "I think _under-dressed_ is more the word, Amy!"

She playfully snorted at his remark, but found truth in his words.

"Yeah, I guess, but, it fits the place I'm getting interviewed for." she added, peering down at herself.

Knuckles made an inquiring face and stepped more into the room. "Where did you say you were trying to get a job at again?"

Amy looked up cheerfully. "At this prestigious restaurant in town!"

"Eh, table dancing?" Knuckles wondered, which granted him a shocking gasp from Amy and a narrowed glare from Sonic.

"N-no!" Amy shot back and touched her hair back into place. "To be a waitress and a hostess!"

"Ahhh" Knuckles understood. "So if you get the job, you'll be greeting people and taking orders?"

She nodded. "Yep. I need to do as much as I can to raise enough money for a new place..." she trailed off and looked over at Sonic.

An instant blush washed over the silent hedgehog as her eyes studied him.

He was still embarrassed from earlier, she could tell but she pushed that aside.

Although, she did need to talk to him.

The original plan for letting her stay with him was so she could get a new job and raise enough money to move out and get her own place.

But now that she and Sonic were together, was that all still necessary?

"Sonic, we need to talk." she addressed to the nervous hedgehog.

He hesitantly nodded.

"S-Sorry about this morning Amy..."

But she waved his apology away. "Forget it. Anyway, Sonic..." she glanced up at Knuckles with a faint smirk, "..and you... I' ll be heading out now."

She returned her attention back to Sonic. "Wish me luck!" she smiled and skipped over to the door.

As she opened it, Sonic dashed over a short distance until he was behind her.

Turning with a loving and triumphant smile, Amy gazed up dearly at Sonic.

She was glad he came to her side and she didn't have to ask him.

Happily, she leapt up and threw her arms around him.

"Oh Sonic..." she murmured against his chest and sighed delightfully when she felt his arms hug her back.

The sharp sting of tears pricked at the backs of her eyes she was so glad, but she forced herself not to give off the hint she was starting to cry.

"I love you, Sonic." she spoke clearly.

She said it in such a way that even Knuckles heard it from where he stood.

Sonic took her words to heart and lightly led a hand upto the back of her head.

Softly, he whispered a kiss against her cheek and brushed his lips against hers.

"Good luck with your interview, Amy" he confirmed in a hushed tone.

Amy's heart fluttered from his warm and caring support, but it soon sunk into her stomach when she realized he didn't 'correctly' respond to her words.

Pulling away from him, she gazed up silently in his eyes.

Delicate pain looked back at her. But his lips were curved into a caring smile.

Her breath hitched in her throat and her hands tightened around his shoulders.

He was lying to her again, she knew it.

"...I knew it..." she muttered barely above a whisper and quickly shut her eyes when she felt her tears welling up again.

Not bothering to look at him, she turned her back to him and stepped out the door.

Once the door closed behind her, Sonic's body relaxed and he exhaled deeply.

He still couldn't understand why he acted that way towards her.

Irritated, he swore under his breath and turned right into a smack upside the back of his head from Knuckles.

"What is the matter with you, Blue?!" Knuckles shouted.

Sonic rubbed the back of his head as his dormant rage bubbled to the surface this one rare time. "I don't know, allright?! And it's pissing me off!" he retaliated back.

Knuckles winced and so did his sons. But they soon became bored and plopped down on the couch and flipped the tv on.

Ignoring the cartoon intrusion from the television, Sonic sulked and ran a hand through his quills.

"I wish I knew, Knuckles...really I do. But I just can't... get close to her" he gestured with his hands "I just...can't."

Knuckles listened to his friend with narrowed eyes. "Do you love her, Sonic?"

"No... I mean..." he sighed. "I don't know what I feel. But I do care about Amy..."

"In what way...?"

"...I don't want to lose her."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Can you see yourself with her longer than a few days, Sonic...?"

The hedgehog in question blinked, trying to decipher the true meaning hidden behind those words, if any.

"What are you trying to say..." he uttered lowly, getting on the defensive.

Knuckles picked up on his friend's animosity but ignored it. "Is she more to you than a fling?"

A simple question.

A simple question that Sonic couldn't answer but he did actually have an answer for it.

He just refused to voice it.

Knuckles was growing impatient. "Sonic..."

"Just give me some more time, okay?"

"More time?" Knuckles repeated. His conversation with Amy flashed before him when she mentioned he said the same thing before.

_'I need more time, Amy'_

Knuckles shook his head. He hated to admit it, but Sonic was doing what he did best from one of the most important choices in his life. Run.

" Sonic, just how much more time do you need?"

"More than what I'm given..."

"Oh shut up! This girl has been after you for years and you finally decided to get with her! I don't know what 'changed' your mind, Sonic but you had better realize it and realize it soon. Or if the time comes down to it, I will have to physically help you make a move." Knuckles warned, shaking a clenched fist at Sonic.

Sonic eyed his fist, then slowly nodded. "Please do that, Knuckles. But remember, if you do, I'll have to punch you back."

"Anytime." Knuckles agreed, flatly.

While the two of them glared at the other, sharing more silent threats, the front door inched open a bit, then flew open, creaking loudly.

And standing there as if she had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation, Amy appeared with her hands in taut balls.

Shocked, Sonic was the first to speak. "A-Amy?"

As if his voice alone held some soft of mystifying power, Amy gradually allowed herself to become relaxed on the spot.

But instead of meeting her boyfriend's eyes, she looked upto Knuckles instead.

"I want to talk to you..." she insisted placidly.

Nodding, Knuckles started to walk out the door with her but turned to look at Sonic.

A thousand things to say to him blazed through Knuckles' mind but the only words that came out were: "Watch the boys. I'll be back."

"W-ait! Hold on a minute, Knuckles!" Sonic retaliated but was met with the door slamming in his face.

-Mel


	16. Procrastination

**The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 16**

--

Walking down the street for an hour and a half, Knuckles nor Amy spoke any words to the other.

Knuckles risked a glance over at her.

It didn't take a genius to see how upset she was.

Her boyfriend wasn't sure of how he felt about her.

He shifted his gaze to the sky. Again he was reminded of Rouge since she was putting him through a similar situation.

'Rouge...' he thought, then looked back towards Amy to find her not there.

Alarmed, he looked behind him and saw that she had stopped walking after a while.

Her hair shielded parts of her face as she hung her head. Her hands returned to fists and her body shook.

'How could he' she thought, her mind playing back to the steamy scene between her and Sonic in the bathroom. To think she almost gave herself to someone who didn't actually love her.

"Amy..." Knuckles' concerned voice brought her out of her angry trance.

The moment her eyes met with his, she ran to his chest and gripped at his arm.

The pang of tears threatened to leak out of her eyes and she quickly moved herself out of his warmth and embrace.

Not because of how secure she felt in his company but how much faster she would have actually shed tears.

Not that Sonic wasn't good enough for her tears, that wasn't it at all. On a frivolous note, she didn't want to mess up her mascara. She still had an interview that was a few hours away to be wary of.

Knuckles quietly watched his distraught friend, then placed a mitt on her shoulder.

"...Hey, Amy...you have every right to..."

"No... no I don't" she disagreed, not meeting his eyes.

"What?"

She fidgeted in uncertainty. "I mean, maybe this is all my fault, Knuckles." she confessed, lifting her hurtful viridian opals to him.

He winced from the beauty they held paired with the look of anguish.

Seeing that, made him feel the same.

But he made the effort to understand what she meant.

"...What do you mean, Amy?"

Her eyes nearly squinted as she continued to battle with her forceful tears.

"Maybe..." she began almost breathlessly while she struggled to keep her voice, "...maybe I'm expecting too much from Sonic... You know?"

Knuckles shook his head. "No, I don't know. I think you're letting him slip by scott-free Amy."

"Just hear me out for a second, Knuckles..." she continued calmly. "I was the one who forced him into making a move years ago. I was the one who still hung around him, hoping that one day he would just open upto me and tell me how he felt. I mean, I would have been fine with a yes just as much as a no! I just wanted him to give me an answer! An answer so I'd know where we stood!"

"Yes, I understand that."

"But... just now I was thinking, maybe he does need more time... More time...to get his feelings straight." 'Although it was his fault for leading me on.' she quietly added in her mind. 'But I didn't have to keep after him either. So part of this is my fault too...'

Knuckles rolled his eyes and turned away from her. "I don't believe you."

"What?"

"Listen to yourself, Amy! You're giving this fool more chances that he needs! You wanted an answer and he gave you one. Maybe it was the wrong one."

She closed her eyes in dejected acceptance. "That's fine..."

"No, Amy, it isn't fine! Nothing is fine if you're going to lie to yourself about this!"

"I'm not lying..." she replied, opening her eyes. "I've known for years how I felt about Sonic but he just discovered his feelings for me a few days ago. ...I can't go expecting him to fulfill every need and want I have just because he chose to finally be with me... All of this is very new to him..."

Knuckles reluctantly listened, and unfortunately, could see her point of view on this.

"Isn't this new to you too?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, you've been obsessing over that idiot for years but just recently, you two became a couple."

"So?"

"So you've never been in a relationship before... have you...?"

Amy adverted her eyes, indirectly giving Knuckles his answer. "As I thought. You may know better than he does what you want out of the relationship, but this IS still new to you too, Amy."

"... I see your point. But does that mean we just slow down or...?"

"That's upto you."

"...Yeah..." she agreed, her heavy eyes lost somewhere between her thick lashes and contracting eye-lids.

"I guess you're right."

He snorted and crossed his arms. "I know I'm right. I consider this practice for my boys for when they get older."

Amy tossed him a surprised look. "So, what, am I just a stepping stone, then?"

Knuckles smirked. "You said that, not me"

A bright spark glistened in her eyes as she gasped and started playfully pounding him on the chest.

"You bastard!!"

"Hahaha, now that's my Amy."

She wrinkled her nose, and pushed him away. "I'm nothing more to you but a stepping stone, remember?"

"You must really like that opinion of yourself, Amy."

Laughing now, Amy wiped away the stray tears that slipped out and started running down the street.

Enthralled and glad she was back to her old self, Knuckles eagerly followed suit and made chase after her.

--

Back at his house, Sonic had pushed the incidents of the morning behind him and just decided to wait until Knuckles or Amy got back later.

Akai and Amethyst were pleasantly watching tv still, arguing with the other which cartoon character they thought was better.

It slightly got on Sonic's nerves, but other than that, having the two boys around was a different kind of experience. He sort of felt a smidgen of authority when they asked him permission for things.

But the downside was that now they both called him Mister Idiot.

At this point in time, Sonic really was feeling like quite the fool, indeed.

Sitting on the couch with them, he yawned.

'I wonder where Shadow is' he thought and pushed himself up from the soft cushions of the couch. A small fit of laughter arose from the two echidnas from what they saw on the screen while Sonic headed into the kitchen.

Snatching his phone off its charger, he moved the chair Amethyst has propped against the dishwasher and placed it in the kitchen doorway. This way, he could get a clear glimpse of the twins.

He sat down with his legs on either side and looked over his phone.

Quickly, he punched in Shadow's number and held the phone to his ear.

--

The vibrant melody of "Throw It All Away" sounded on a grassy ledge and eventually fell off into more of the soft flora a short distance below.

The dark hedgehog it belonged to was nowhere near it.

And even if he could hear it ringing, the loud and lyrical moans of Rouge received his complete attention.

Deliciously, she called his name while she hugged the bark of a palm tree near the small body of water in the lagoon for dear life.

Shadow had his hands planted firmly on either sides of the water's bank and was rapidly delving into her.

--

"I thought so..." Sonic sighed. As he expected, there was no answer.

He glanced up at the boys for a moment, then dialed the number again.

--

Shadow and Rouge found themselves rolling around in the grass now, experimenting with multiple positions.

Shadow's cell went off again, but he sharply ignored it as he hugged Rouge close from behind and held one of her legs up.

A slur of gibberish flowed from her full lips and her hands harshly grasped a patch of grass and ripped it out of the ground. "Yes Shadow! More! More!"

Shadow grunted in reply and gave her exactly what she wanted.

She felt his pace increase and before she could cry out, his body's position moved and she had begun pressing backwards into him.

Towering above her while she lay on all fours now, Shadow gave her bottom a well promoted slap as he plunged into her from behind.

"Do you want me to go faster?" he asked darkly, slapping her rump again and she moaned deeply. "Yes! Please, Shadow go faster! Make me come!"

He grunted a reply in words she didn't catch and clutched her hips. But instead of obliging to her pleads, he went slow. Painfully slow.

Rouge growled from feeling each inch of him gradually fill her walls, and then just as slowly recede.

While she loved every second of his length in her, he was teasing her doing this and she knew he was fully aware of it!

"Sh-Shadow..." she breathed, her body shivering with need.

"Yes...?" he asked breathlessly, leaning down and nibbling at her ear. "What do you want, Rouge..."

"Take me, Shadow..."

"How...?" he growled lightly in her ear.

Rouge was being driven crazy.

He was overwhelming her with so much ample pleasure she could hardly keep up with it all.

After many attempts at voicing her wants, she finally found her voice and answered him raspily. "Hard..."

"...Hard...? Like this...?" Shadow mused and rammed into her with one sudden thrust.

She cried out and gripped the grass harder. "Yes, Shadow!"

Smirking, Shadow did it again, relishing in the bounce her bottom gave against his body.

"Tell me how hard you want this..." he whispered in her ear, sending sparks of electrical shivers up her spine.

"Make me scream, Shadow. I want you to make me scream your name!"

He chuckled mischievously. That was an easy task for him, he realized within the past few hours.

With a quick movement of his hips, he made her moan. There was something in her voice that urged him on. Hungrily, he gripped her waist again and drove strongly into her again and again until teasing her no longer had a place in his love-making.

It wasn't long before his powerful thrusts had her screaming his name to the heavens and beyond.

--

Almost close to the restaurant, Amy suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked up.

Catching upto her, Knuckles pushed her lightly as if to tag her. "Got you!" he stated, then nudged her in the shoulder when she didn't respond.

"What's wrong?"

She slowly shook her head a few times before turning to him. "Did you just hear something?"

He remained silent and listened, looking around suspiciously.

"Nope." he shrugged.

--

Sonic sighed in near defeat. It was obvious he was not getting through to Shadow on his cell.

'Just what could he be doing?!' Sonic wondered feverishly.

Then the thought crossed his mind of who Shadow was doing as opposed to what.

But Sonic roughly shook the image from his head. 'It couldn't be!' he cried inwardly.

Aimlessly, his eyes trailed from his cell to the two boys on the couch.

And there his eyes narrowed.

Swiftly, he got up from the chair and walked into the Living Room.

"Hey, boys..."

The two glanced up at their elder briefly. "Yeah Mister Idiot?" Amethyst asked cutely.

"Yeah what is it, Idiot?"

Sonic's left eye started to twitch and his mouth curled in stark annoyance.

"It's...Sonic..."

Akai blinked. "Mister Sonic Idiot?" Then the child waved the conversation away. "Shh! I'm twyin' ta watch da cartoons!"

Sonic sighed. He was defeated for the 4th time that day. But still, he pressed on.

"Akai...was it?"

The one in question looked Sonic's way. "What"

"Do you know your mother's number, by any chance?"

Akai blinked at the inquiry. "Huh? Oh... Hey, Amafist..." he nudged his milder brother.

"Whaaaaat I'm twyin' to waaaatch!"

"What's mommy's numbuh?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhm" the small echidna tilted his head back in thought as he tried to remember. "1... uhhh 1-8-hundwed... x x x-lady?"

Sonic almost jumped out of his quills.

"Wh-what did you say?? That's not her number!" he blinked. "I-is it..?" he added, but more towards himself.

Amethyst nodded. "Yah huh! I heard daddy call that numbuh before and call the person he talked to mommy!"

Akai nodded. "Oh yeah, I remembuh that. He kept sayin 'Oh yeah mommy' a lot. So it had to be her."

Amethyst nodded. "Yeah."

The two agreed, then went back to watching the cartoons.

Sonic found himself shaking his head in disbelief while stifling a sad laugh.

These two couldn't remember their house number or their mother's cell phone number...but they remembered a sex hot-line their dad called?

"Knuckles, you..." he murmured, not even knowing what to call the guy.

Letting a chuckle pass, Sonic looked up at the twins and tried again.

--

Gentle winds passed over their bodies as Shadow and Rouge both caught their breaths.

Panting, Rouge's chest heaved rapidly against Shadow's as she lay nuzzled in his chest fur.

Her legs were gingerly entwined with his.

After literally more hours of their intense love-making, the two of them finally found it fit to rest.

Gently, Shadow leaned forward and nudged her nose with his.

"Rouge..." he uttered breathlessly and brushed his lips across hers.

Smiling, the bat returned his affection happily with a soft kiss of her own.

Then that kiss turned into a battle for dominance as their tongues quarreled with the other for control.

Just then, Rouge cell phone rang.

She hesitated as the thought of answering it crossed her mind.

Thinking it was her nosy husband, Shadow growled lightly as he nibbled on her bottom lip.

"Ignore it..."

"Mmm..." she answered back and ran a hand over the side of his face and brought him deeper into her kiss.

But when it rang again, her body automatically pulled away from him and she reached up to grab it. She was more concerned with her boys than her husband at the moment. Yet, if he was planning on dropping by in the area, she had to know.

Shadow frowned and made a sound of disapproval when she separated herself from their embrace.

Clumsily, she snatched up the device and checked the number.

"Huh?" she inquired with a puzzled expression. Before she could even recite the numbers, Shadow took the phone from her and read them himself.

Rouge watched him with bewildered eyes as a knowing smirk formed across his face. "Who..."

"It's Sonic." he answered pragmatically.

Rouge winced at the name and rose to her knees.

Wide aquamarine gems sparkled to their lover in silent question.

Shadow nodded in understanding and accepted the call.

Rouge bit her lip, not knowing what to expect. She knew she and Shadow were taking a huge risk letting Sonic know that they were together. But she felt as if though they could trust the former hero.

Shadow took note of her anticipation and reached out to hold her hand.

"What is it." he spoke blatantly into the receiver.

Rouge giggled a bit.

A squawk of surprise was heard on the other end of the line. Shadow thought it would be much more entertaining if he put the call on speakerphone, so he did.

In the background, Rouge's ears instantly picked up on the sound of her sons.

"Mister Idiot what's wrong??"

She smiled at the sound of little Akai's voice, overlooking the name he called Sonic.

Shadow certainly didn't.

But if Akai was there, then she knew Amethyst had to be as well.

Then her features dropped and she gripped Shadow's hand in fear.

He immediately understood. If the boys were there, Knuckles had to be too.

"Sonic..."

"Wait a minute!" Sonic's voice cried, now shrill. "I called Rouge and YOU answer the phone?!"

Shadow paused. "Yes. What do you want?"

"Didn't you get my text message, man?!"

Shadow nodded although Sonic couldn't see him. "I did."

"I told you not to be around if Knuckles found out!"

"So I take it he isn't there."

"I told you-- huh? No, he stepped out with Amy."

"Amy?" Rouge repeated lowly. Something about hearing the girls name ruffled something in her. She didn't like it one bit.

"What about A--" she started to say, but Shadow shook his head to stop her.

With a sigh, she pouted and let Shadow do the talking.

"Where did he go with Amy?"

"With her to her job interview..." Sonic stated with a distant tone in his voice.

Shadow picked up on this immediately

"...You slept with her didn't you..."

"Wh-what?! NO!! No way!! I would never--!" Sonic trailed off.

Rouge shook her head. "Wrong thing to say..." she muttered for Shadow's ears to hear.

"So what has been going on with you and Amy, then?" Shadow asked placidly.

"Huh? Oh, you don't know, yet do you? Amy and I are...w-well...We're kind of a couple now..."

Sonic confessed nervously.

Slightly wide-eyed, Shadow glanced to Rouge who returned his gaze with a small shrug. "Even I knew that."

Shadow raised a high brow, then narrowed his eyes and grinned.

"I think it's going to rain, Sonic..." he joked. Sonic and Amy getting together was like one of the last things Shadow ever thought would happen. Although, it certainly was about time.

But Sonic took the metaphor to mean that he was telling a lie, such as 'the sky is falling'.

"No, Shadow, I'm serious! In fact...she keeps...throwing herself at me...I'm not so sure what to do."

"...It's going to hail..."

"And actually...we almost... but..I couldn't go through with it..."

Shadow winced and smirked evilly. "Damn, I should have bet money on that."

Rouge laughed.

There was a pause on the other end as if Sonic thought he heard her voice. But if he had, his next statements suggested otherwise.

"But enough about me. Where are you, Shadow?"

"...Not there, obviously."

Sonic sighed and was almost drowned out completely by the rising sound of laughter from the twins at their tv show.

Hearing them, Rouge chuckled a bit, then rested her head against Shadow's shoulder.

"Seriously, Shadow... I don't know what you and Rouge are upto if she's there now, but, don't let Knuckles find out."

Shadow snorted.

"I know that not really much of anything I say will change your mind but...stay out of trouble, allright? The safest sex is no sex."

"Hmph. You would know that firsthand."

"...Aw shut up, man! A lot of things went on here you just wouldn't understand unless I told you. Speaking of which, when are you coming back?"

Shadow dared a yearning glance towards Rouge. He didn't want to leave her.

"When I'm ready."

"...I thought you might say that. But listen, when you see Rouge again, tell her Knuckles really wants to patch things up with her."

A low growl offensively rumbled in Shadow's throat at that echidna's name.

"Sorry, Shadow, but it's the truth. He loves her."

A small jolt rippled through Rouge's body at that and she hiccuped.

Again, silence was on the other end of the line.

"...I know you can hear me Rouge." Sonic calmly spoke towards her.

She gasped.

This was bad. If Sonic went and told Knuckles, Shadow and Rouge would have a lot more than just a problem on their hands.

Rouge fidgeted nervously while gathering her thoughts.

Suddenly, she felt very uncomfortable and stood up.

Shadow watched her with slightly disappointed eyes as she began to snatch up the strewn articles of her clothing.

"Way to go, hedgehog..." Shadow grumbled.

Sonic sighed. "We need to talk, man. Big time."

Shadow obliged. "Fine."

"Allright. See you later, Shadow."

"Hmph."

Rouge's phone made a light sound, indicating the call was closed.

Tossing the phone to the soft grass, Shadow quickly stood up.

Rouge was too occupied with gathering her clothes and speaking nonsense to herself, she almost didn't acknowledge Shadow's presence.

"Rouge..." he voiced lightly.

When she gave him no verbal reply, he walked up behind her and grabbed her by the arm.

Once she felt his touch on her, she froze.

"Rouge..." he called again, but still was met with silence.

Shadow's features hardened a bit. He knew she was afraid of being caught by her husband and he couldn't blame her for that.

But what he could blame her for was the way she went about it.

She knew very well that the two of them were getting into the night before.

She wanted him. And he wanted her.

She was at fault for living a lie and deciding to veer away from it for one night, while he was at fault for giving into her emotions.

But what was done, was done.

Compassionately, Shadow placed his other hand on her shoulder and spun her around to face him.

She immediately fell into the comfort of his chest.

They couldn't keep doing this.

Slowly, she pulled away from him just enough to gaze up into his inviting eyes.

And just as it had been last night, love looked right back at her.

Her eyes began to waver from the weight of her next thought.

She had to tell him goodbye. They had to stop. Not just for their own sakes, but for her sons' sakes as well.

Shakily, she grasped at the fur on his chest and parted her quivering lips to speak.

"We can't keep doing this, Shadow" she had prepared to say, but the words "I love you, Shadow" tumbled out in their place.

The moment those delicate and powerful words left her lips, Shadow dipped his head to catch them and delivered them sweetly back to her in a deep and meaningful kiss.

Any pieces of clothing she held dropped weightlessly into the swaying grass with a cotton whisper.

-Mel


	17. Gain and Loss

The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 17

--

Outside of the restaurant, Knuckles stood resting his back against the prestigious structure.

His arms were folded against his chest while one leg was crossed over the other.

His head was lowered in frequent thought and his eyes were closed.

Amy, of course, was already inside the fancy looking establishment engaging in her interview.

About 20 minutes had passed since then.

Knuckles had decided to go outside and wait for her.

And as he did, thoughts of his life upto this point encircled his mind and gave way to further contemplations.

Once Rouge declared when her little vacation was over with, he would remind her of their second marriage and then move away from the city.

Knuckles was determined to do whatever it took to make things right with his wife.

He knew that someday all his hard work and efforts would pay off.

'...Or backfire in my face...' he commented silently to himself.

Either way, he was going to prove his love to her. In case somehow, she had forgotten in that strange mind of hers.

He paused slightly in his deliberations when he felt a soft breeze flutter over his body.

His violet eyes slowly revealed themselves to the horizons before him.

Then he remembered he didn't have time to throw a shirt on earlier that morning.

Quietly, he chuckled to himself. "...I'm such a moron..." he spoke in tones lightly above a whisper.

His words carried both frivolous and serious meanings.

Leaving the house without wearing a shirt was foolish; even if he was in a rush to help his friend.

And in the back of his mind, he felt torn and very idiotic continuing to put up with staying with the woman he married.

She wasn't returning his feelings.

While he understood sometimes that took a little more than a few years to grow into, with Rouge, her focus just seemed not to be on him at all.

Then again, maybe he was just looking into things unnecessarily harshly.

A big whoosh of air whisked from him as he sighed heavily.

"This is what I get for having time to think..." he groused, running a mitt through his dreads. "I end up thinking I have more problems than I actually do. ...Gives me a headache..."

He forced a small laugh, then returned to his previous relaxed posture.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking too much..." he stated in empty belief. Painfully, he knew he was only trying to deter from what he knew was the truth just to reassure himself.

Nothing wrong with a little encouragement.

"...."

Moments later, the doors to the restaurant swung open and Amy dashed out and pranced in front of him.

"Guess who got the joooob!" she chirped, twirling in a small circle and outstretching her arms.

A light smile edged Knuckles' lips without him realizing.

"Not you?"

"What!?" Amy gasped and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Liar! You know I got the job!"

Knuckles gave her a genuine laugh and pushed himself away from the building. "Oh really? You were so enthusiastic, I thought you were cheering for someone who really did get the job. Being a proud loser."

"P-Proud?! Loser?!!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." he grinned and leaned down a bit to meet gazes with her. "I didn't mean to call you a loser, Amy." he added, giving her the most pitiful apologetic facade she had ever seen. "I mean to say...that you were just the last winner...."

Amy's cheeks flustered from embarrassment. "Wh-What?!! Idiot!" she shouted and punched him again in both shoulders.

Knuckles raised his arms and feigned a lazy defense. "Help! Abuse! This pink little girl is attacking me!"

Amy's viridian eyes flared. "Little girl?!! I'll show you what this 'little girl' can do to you!"

"Sorry, I don't 'do' minors."

"Knuckles!!!" she cried, pounding on his chest with her fists between fits of laughter. "Shut up!! I totally earned that job and you know it!!"

Knuckles shrugged with an airy chuckle. "Well, aren't we confident? So, when do you start?"

"Huh??" she questioned, ceasing her playful assault. He suddenly got so serious, it puzzled her a bit.

Silent for a moment, she eyed him; her large green eyes glistening with expectancy. "That's it?"

He blinked. "What's it?"

"You're not going to keep teasing me?"

"Why would I do that? I really am interested in knowing when you start working, Amy."

While she wanted to believe his answer whole-heartedly, she was aware of something being amiss.

"Hmmmmm" Her eyes quickly narrowed. "You were out here thinking again, weren't you?"

Knuckles humphed to mask his surprise. She hit the nail right on the head.

"Wow, I'm not allowed to think, huh? Good thing you came out here and stopped me before I fell unconscious..." he retorted sarcastically.

Amy frowned at his overwhelming sarcasm, but it turned out to look more like a cute pout.

"What was it this time..." she lightly demanded, wanting to know the full details of his wandering thoughts.

Knowing she meant business, Knuckles sighed and casually waved the situation away.

"Forget it, allright? It's my problem. And this is your big day. What kind of friend would I be to ruin it?"

"What kind of friend would you be if you hid the truth from me?"

"Amy...seriously. It can wait."

Amy said nothing, but watched him through silently scolding eyes.

Then, suddenly, she snickered.

"I missed the joke...." Knuckles admitted curtly.

"No no, it's just.... You're right. Let's just drop it for now."

"Uh huh...."

"...You know...we're starting to sound like some old married couple...." she smiled faintly, attempting to place their discomfort aside and sound cheerful.

Her friend was already in a bad mood. At the very least, she could do her best to alter that.

"Yep, we do."

"...Does that bother you?" Amy asked meekly.

Knuckles was slightly thrown off by her strange words, but didn't think very much of it. "Nope. I guess that just means you're perfectly fine with being an old lady, Amy..." he joked, starting to walk away from the restaurant.

"Huh? H-hey!" Amy shouted, catching upto him within seconds.

"Old lady?! Care to repeat that??"

"Old lady." Knuckles obliged and smiled at her.

Silent anger occupied her features for a few moments, then she suddenly burst into laughter.

Appeased, and finally taking his mind off of the previous thoughts of hardships in his marriage, Knuckles fell into chuckles along with her.

Before long, the two friends walked side by side down the streets of their town, joking, talking and relishing in the other's company.

It hadn't occurred to either of them that they were taking the long way back to Sonic and Amy's house.

But that little tidbit wouldn't have even mattered.

Although after a few more minutes passed by, it was Amy who was guilty of having her mind littered with downtrodden thoughts.

As her painful contemplations inflicted their hefty toll on her heart, she slowed her walk until she was nearly dragging her feet.

Eventually, Knuckles caught onto this and peered down at her suspiciously.

"What's the matter with you, Amy?"

Hearing her name spoken with such an invisible power that she secretly held dear, she flinched.

"Uh oh..." Knuckles muttered and imagined the worst when he saw her stop walking. He sighed and crossed his arms. "What is it, now? That time of the month already?"

"Do you...really have to move?"

Her question caught him off guard from its sudden sincerity as well as its randomness.

He sighed. "Amy, we've been through this. I've already explained why I decided for Rouge and the boys to move out of the city with me."

"For your second marriage..." she spoke almost with complete lack of emotion.

".... Yes.... I already told you that. Why is it such an issue now?"

"Are you blind?!!" she challenged, raising her voice and glaring right at him.

Knuckles shuddered a bit. "Ohh...maybe I was right about it being that time of the month. You go from laughing to staring at me like you want to choke me."

"Not now, Knuckles." she retaliated softly. "We've been having some great times together just being around the other. Sonic's even a little more relaxed now that you're around. He's got another bundle of testosterone that can understand him..."

She frowned slightly at this, but continued on. "But my point is that...can't you see how much fun we've _all_ been having? Do you really want to just leave all that behind?" she continued in a tone just above a whisper.

Knuckles frowned slightly while he eyed her. He knew something like this would come up again, but as a good friend, he still gave Amy his respect and answered her. "Hey, I didn't say I'd never stop by to visit."

"You know honestly, Rouge couldn't have picked a better time to take her little 'vacation'. " Amy added, ignoring his last statement completely.

Knuckles sighed. He was beginning to have a case of děja vu with another female ignoring what he had to say and overruling it with something they thought was more important.

Although Amy did have a point about Rouge. While her timing seemed mysteriously accurate for his, Amy's and Sonic's situation, something still remained out of place.

In addition to that, it has been a long time since Rouge and he ever had time to themselves for a change.

"I guess I can't argue with that." he agreed finally.

Glittering beryl shimmered with a sliver of hope smiled back at him. "So... does that mean you'll hang around with us a bit longer?"

Knuckles paused and pretended to think about this, although, he already had his answer.

Amy watched him intently, eagerly awaiting a response. Especially one that was in her favor.

"...How long would I have to stay for you to stop pestering me about this?"

"3 months!"

"3 months?!!"

"4!"

Knuckles blinked at the girl's forwardness with such random choices. Then he shook his head.

"That's too long, Amy."

"Oh, come on! The boys will love it! Give them a chance to spend some time with their Auntie Rose!"

Knuckles scoffed. " 'Auntie' ? Please. I thought the reason you wanted to get this job was to raise enough money to move OUT from Sonic's place. And from the looks of that restaurant, it shouldn't take you long."

"...!" She began to fidget uncomfortably and pouted. " 2 months, then."

"...Looks like I was right."

"And? Can you stick around for at least 2 more months?"

Knuckles sighed. "We'll see. But I can't just leave Rouge alone for that long. I would want to see her."

".... Fine. 2 months it is." Amy settled curtly, and turned her back to him to begin walking again.

"Hey, Amy!" he called, following after her and grabbed her arm. "1 month, allright?"

Amy said nothing at first, then turned slightly to glance at his form out the corner of her eye. "...Fine, you win. 1 month is better than none at all, I guess."

"Damn right it is."

"What am I doing... I'm being so selfish."

"You sure are." he agreed and let her arm go.

The two soon fell into a walk together again.

After a short moment of silence, Amy was the first to speak up.

"Thank you... for being here for me."

"...No problem..." he trailed off. Suspicious thoughts began to litter his mind as to why she would say that so out of the blue.

"Amy..."

"Yes?" she asked, bright eyes wide in wonder.

"...If you and Sonic are together now, why do you want to move out so quickly?"

Her glossed eyes doubled in size, then hid behind subdued lids and she turned away from him.

"Oh that... Well, maybe Sonic will decide to come live with me. I never really actually thought he'd even face his fears and want to really be with me, you know? I... I guess I never really gave it much thought...haha..." she carried unevenly with a nervous laugh.

"I smell bullsh!t. What aren't you telling me?"

Faced with a predicament more personal than she wished it to be, Amy shook slightly while sighing heavily. "It's not important right now. Sonic and I can deal with who is living where later."

"I see..." Knuckles mumbled dispassionately. He didn't believe her for a second. And from the sound of her voice, it seemed as if she and Sonic weren't going to last as a couple for long. And she knew it.

Yet, in pure contrast to this realized possible outcome, the young girl managed to smile brightly at her friend and tapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"Come on, let's hurry back. I want us all to have a good time with the boys. I get the feeling this month will go by before we know it."

--

The gentle movement of the lagoon's waves gingerly awoke Rouge from her slumber. A faint sound passed between her lips while her heavy lids slowly lifted. Liquidy gems of turquoise partially revealed themselves.

The secluded horizon laid before her was bathed with the orange tint of sunset. Her empty hands clutched tufts of grass as the remembrance of what had just taken place shot into her thoughts.

In a quick panic, she sat up and looked around her.

Her clothes had been scattered throughout the clearing yet again, but they weren't her immediate concern.

Nervously, she bit her lip and stood to her feet. "Shadow...?" she croaked.

Her throat was dry. No surprise.

Shadow had her screaming all sorts of things. Yet, while he gave her something she had always longed for and more without any strings attached, she became even more attached to him, knowing it was wrong.

In actuality, she just wanted to experience a truthful and honest moment with him. It didn't have to be sexual.

And from Shadow's point of view, all he wanted was to settle his feeling with her, whether she accepted them or not.

Neither of them prepared to be swallowed up in a stolen moment that wasn't meant for them.

Rouge had herself to 'thank' for that, 4 years ago.

But what was done, was done. The only feasible way to go, was forward.

Rouge had her husband and her boys to go back to. Being with Shadow was wonderful, but it was a mistake.

That's all it was; a wonderful mistake.

A mistake she desperately needed to have in order to realize what was really right for her.

She loved her times spent with Shadow, as short as they were, but now it was time for her to face her responsibilities and fix things with her family.

"Shadow?" she called again with a little more clarity in her thoughts as well as her voice.

A light breeze washed over her back and she turned around instinctively, but covering herself with her arms.

Glowing carmine rested on her form, then slightly narrowed. "Sorry for leaving like that." Shadow spoke placidly and started to walk in her direction.

"It's allright, but, Shadow, I need to..." she trailed off as she watched her former lover pass right by her as if she wasn't even standing there.

A deathly frigid chill snaked down her spine and made her shudder. Why was he ignoring her all of a sudden? And just what was he doing while she was sleeping?

"Shadow..." she tried again, but felt her fleeting confidence start to fizzle when he stopped with his back to her.

He stood in front of one of her articles of clothing and she assumed at that moment he was going to gather them for her and relaxed a bit.

But his attitude was still bothering her.

He was fully aware of his behavior. But he didn't understand, nor was ready to face, the foreign look in her eyes.

He knew she wanted to leave him. He knew it. He couldn't help but feel used at that moment, but the other half of their situation was also his fault too.

And even still, he did not want to part from her side just yet.

He knew he was being selfish, but her selfishness far outweighed his; and he willingly became full victim to it.

In the back of his mind, he wished something could happen between them, but because of their spontaneousness, that may not be so possible now.

He accepted full responsibility for interfering with her life. Now, he just had to deal with living with another broken heart.

Clearing his throat, he gathered the support he needed and responded coolly to her.

"Yes, what is it, Rouge?" he responded softly. Not a trace of anger nor animosity was evident.

Rouge hesitated a bit, deliberating over if she should move her hands or not.

He had already seen all of her, physically there was nothing to hide. Obviously, emotionally, there was.

But fortunately for her, he had picked up her shirt and tossed it at her.

She watched wordlessly as the weightless fabric fluttered in the air and crumpled at her feet.

Her eyes searched the cloth unintentionally as if could aid her in her time of discomfort.

She shivered again, knowing Shadow felt what she was.

It angered her that they had such a wordless connection, but couldn't be together because of their chosen circumstances.

"...And it's my fault." she uttered, biting her lip and bending down to grasp her shirt.

A fluttering breeze grazed through her hair and over her skin as Shadow's shoes appeared before her.

"No, it's not."

Wavering turquoise glossed at the sight of his eyes met with hers. He stood calmly in front of her, wearing a empathizing expression on his face. In his hand, the colors of her swimwear caught her attention and she reached out to take them.

The moment she placed her hand to his, he clasped his fingers around her slender hand and brought her to his chest.

Eager fingers entwined with his while her face nuzzled deeply into his chest fur as Shadow hugged her.

The two of them stayed in the other's embrace for quite some time.

Both exchanged silent and wordless understandings to the other as they both accepted them.

This was the end. After this moment, they would go back to their lives.

The hours felt like mere minutes to them. Once Rouge started to pull away to get dressed, the monumental bond they had just shared crumbled to dust within seconds.

Shadow suddenly felt cold and reached out to hug her again.

This time, her back was turned. But she felt the same way he did.

"Stay with me..."

Rouge's ears perked up at the whisper. Turning, she sought Shadow, but was met with nothing but the tender current of the wind as it rolled over the tropic flora before her.

Were those words Shadow's? Or was it just the wind?

Realization struck her hard and it took all she had not to burst into tears.

Shadow was gone. To where, she didn't know.

She wished he would come back to her, but this was her decision—as well as his.

Fighting back painful and blurring tears, Rouge knelt down to reclaim the remainder of her clothing. Then something shiny caught her moistened eyes and she uncovered it to discover it to be her cell phone.

She hadn't seen it in a while, she almost barely recognized it.

With a shaky hand, she picked up the object and lifted it to her face.

The message symbol was blinking.

Without wasting a second, she flipped the phone open and read the message.

She never knew of the power and strength one word could hold over her to bring her entire world crumbling to its knees.

"Goodbye."

--

"I'm borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred." Akai yawned, stretching fully on the couch.

"Hey, watch it, Akai!" Amethyst whined, dodging the flail of his brother's arms while he twisted this way and that. "You almost hit me!"

"Then move, Amafist!" Akai protested.

"I can't!" the smallish violet echidna complained as he squirmed in his spot on the couch.

"Mistuh Idiot won't move!"

Cute perplexity formed across Akai's expressive face and he leaned forward to look past his brother next to him to see Sonic.

Sure enough, the blue hedgehog was slouched in the last seat of the couch with an elbow propped up on the arm of the furniture and his head in his hand.

Rapid sounds of quick breathing and snoring emitted from him while he slept.

It was painfully apparent as to how often Sonic had ever babysat.

Seeing the guy who was supposed to watch them passed out on the couch, the two echidna twins looked at each other with mischievous grins.

"Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg, Amafist!"

--

Mere hours before dusk, Knuckles and Amy had finally made it back to the house, laughing and sharing playful banter

Exhausted from all the walking and all the laughing she had been doing, Amy exhaled deeply and wiped the small beads of sweat from her forehead. Her make-up was slightly smudged and her hair was a bit out of place, but that was fine.

And for the first time in a while, she actually felt at home.

'Thank you, Knuckles.' she whispered in her head and took out her spare key.

Watching her, Knuckles wondered why Sonic hadn't bounded to the door to open it already.

But the bumbling blue hedgehog didn't even cross Amy's mind until she dropped the key.

"Klutz." Knuckles teased.

"Shut up!" Amy shot back., then turned to him. "Why don't you reach down there and get it with those mitts of yours?"

"...Nice try. But I'm not spending hours down there to pick up something that small."

"Do you even have fingers?"

He half-frowned. "What does that have to do with anything? I just can't hold or pick up really small things..."

Amy sighed and bent down to pick up the key herself; making sure her skirt didn't reveal anything 'enticing' to wandering male echidna eyes.

The moment she unlocked the door, a loud crash and shouting erupted from the other side of the door.

Then a yelp from Sonic.

"Sonic!!" Amy called, but was quickly pushed out of the way by Knuckles who flung the door open and ran in.

Frantically, he looked for his boys. Once he spotted them, he bursted out laughing.

Intrigued by the odd mixture of sounds of Sonic's cries of pain and Knuckles' booming laughter, Amy poked her head in the door and threw her hands over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. But the chortles and snickers that escaped was bad enough to poor Sonic.

Akai and Amethyst had somehow gotten Sonic onto the carpet and were jumping up and down on his back, smacking each other with pillows from the couch

"Help me!" Sonic wheezed, dramatically reaching out to Knuckles and Amy, who were still battling with their spurts of laughter.

"Dadddyyyyyy!!" Akai shouted and jumped off of Sonic to charge over to his father.

Amethyst was a bit more hesitant and looked around a bit as if looking for someone missing from this picture. But when he didn't find them, he followed Akai's example and ran over to Knuckles and hugged his leg. "Dadddyy!!"

"Hey boys!!" Knuckles beamed, kneeling down to hug them both firmly.

As he happily embraced his children, Amy dashed to Sonic's side and placed a warm hand to his face. "Oh Sonic, are you allright?"

"N-never better!" he forced out, pretending to sound cheerful and unscathed.

But Amy saw directly through this. Giggling, she leaned in and placed a light kiss on his nose.

"Can you stand?" she asked, already smoothing her hands tenderly over his skin and lightly grasped his arm.

Wordless for a moment, he stared up into the warm viridian that gleamed brightly at him.

How could he say no?

Once to his feet, his body wavered in a way Amy couldn't decipher. But the next thing she knew, she was close to nearly jumping out of her skin when she felt his arms encircle around her and pull her close.

A sharp gasp escaped her but it was silenced with a quick and sweet kiss.

When their eyes met again, an air of bashfulness and excitement settled in between them. To Sonic, his actions were a form of an apology for his previous actions that day. To Amy, they were a miracle.

"Oh....Sonic...." she smiled and sniffled at the same time, she was so happy.

Just when she got upset with him, he goes and does something like this.

"Sonic...!" she exclaimed in tones between a sigh and a sob as she threw her arms around him tightly.

And just as tautly, Sonic hugged her back.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwww look at dat" Amethyst announced, pointing at the two.

"Huh? I don't care about dat!" Akai muttered, then looked up at his father. "Can we go upstairs and play daddy??" he asked, tugging on Knuckles' pants leg.

"Sure, bud." Knuckles complied and picked up both boys from around their waists and sat them atop his shoulders.

"Welp, we'll be hitting the hay in a few hours." he said to both hedgehogs, then led his attention to Sonic. "Better get used to us, Blue, because I'm crashing here for a while."

Sonic blinked. "How long?"

"A month." Amy spoke for Knuckles.

Sonic blinked again. "When was this decided?!"

Amy snickered and Knuckles only grinned. "Well, now you know. Oh...and get a room, you two!"

Sonic sucked his teeth at the older male and made a face at the echoing of his rumbling laughter as he headed up the steps.

And of course, Akai and Amethyst chimed in with little cackles of their own.

Moving away from Amy a bit, Sonic sulked. "Great. I'm never gonna get my bed back...."

"Oh Sonic, is that all you can think about?" Amy joked, giving him a little push.

"Hey, watch it Amy!" Sonic playfully warned, feigning hurt. "I just got the snot beat out of me from those kids of his and now you want to beat me up too?"

She grinned alluringly and nudged her shoulder against his arm. "Maybe."

Sonic sighed, then slipped his arm around her. "Ahhh... I just can't seem to win, can I?"

"Oh, speaking of can't seeming to win, where's Shadow? Have you heard from him?"

"Huh?" Her question caught him off guard for a moment, but the memories of their earlier conversation instantly popped back in his mind.

"Oh! Actually, yeah I have! Hold on, let me get my phone." he stated, giving her another quick peck on the forehead, just because it seemed nice to do, and zipped to the couch.

Reaching down into the cushions, he felt around for the device, but found nothing.

Starting to panic, he dashed into the kitchen to see if maybe he left it on the charger, but nearly had a fit when he found it in the sink—in pieces.

"What the--! How?!!" he sputtered, then glared up towards the ceiling. "....Them..." he nearly seethed.

Sighing, Amy walked into the kitchen and watched him put the battery back in and slide the back case in place.

Turning it back on, the screen flashed.

Peering over his shoulder, Amy gasped at how many missed calls he had. And moreso that they were from Shadow.

"Wait, there's a text here too." she pointed out.

Sonic was more focused on the phone actually still working more than Shadow's message.

Until he read its contents:

"...I'm through.... for good...."

--

No it's not the end yet!!

-Mel


	18. Regret

The Babysitter Affair: Chapter 18

--

The night was cold. Frigid. Glacial. Yet, Shadow felt none of it.

He had become numb to the piercing frosty night just as much as he was becoming numb to his emotions.

He had finally given up on Rouge.

Despite the unexpected events that had taken place between the two of them, he got the closure he sought.

_No._

His body tensed and shook with the fierce realization of that word.

_No._

The first time he saw her again at that gas station, he was fully prepared to accept a yes just as well as a no.

But after becoming a part of her and knowing that they shared something genuine and powerful, but also so wrong at the same time...

It tore him apart.

And it still was deep down.

His body barely moved as he sighed dejectedly. Wavering carmine eyes scanned over the valley of the town below the hill he perched atop.

The bright glistening city lights dappled the city like illuminated ornaments.

Jewels.

Jewels...

Torn, Shadow adverted his burning gaze and allowed it to taper off into a different direction.

Being reminded of her again was something he needed to completely avoid and dispose of.

He didn't want to forget about the charming bat that once brightened his obsidian surroundings and cleansed his frigid heart with one endearing smile.

Outwardly, he swore to himself.

Obviously enough, discontinuing everything he had shared with this woman was no easy feat.

And unless he handled his loss and coped with his "failure", he would continue to be haunted by the ghastly image of Rouge; smiling sweetly at him with the words "No" curving her ripened lips.

A shivering jolt sparked up Shadow's spine and he roughly grabbed his phone from the grass, ripping some of it out of the ground in the process.

If the glowing indication of a message didn't catch his eyes, he would have thrown the device off the cliff.

A low sound caught between a growl and an unnerved sigh leveled in his throat as he read over the message's contents.

No surprise, it was from Sonic. Finally.

"Where R U?"

Shadow didn't blink as he read over the short message again through hooded eyes.

"Overlooking my path to ruin—studded by light." Was his quickly punched-in reply.

Sighing, Shadow tossed the phone into the wispy grass beside him and swung his legs over the edge.

Silently, his thoughts deceptively raced feverishly throughout his mind and seemed to balance on the brisk current of the wind itself.

He began to feel foolish and pathetic for allowing himself to fall into such deep emotions of regret.

He should have felt at peace. Peace for receiving closure. But it slipped by him as a curtail of wind did the same.

Sensing the sudden alter in his surroundings of another, Shadow's narrowed eyes tore through the dark and pinned themselves into widening viridian.

An awkward, but accepting silence fell between them before the newcomer decided to speak first.

"I thought you might be here." Sonic worded softly, hints of concern littered throughout his tone.

A shrug was all Shadow chose to give as Sonic took a seat next to him on the edge.

Also swinging his legs over, Sonic leaned back on his hands and gazed up at the dusky royal velvet reigning over them.

"I've always wondered what was up there holding the sky in place...." the azure hedgehog rambled in hopes to find a feasible subject to talk about without causing Shadow more grief than necessary.

"...."

"There were times I'd think if I didn't run fast enough, the sky would fall on me!" he managed a dry chuckle and turned to look over at Shadow. A pang of guilt shot through him from his comrade's distant and dejected appearance, but he continued on.

Shadow still being there listening spoke volumes on its own.

"Crazy, isn't it?"

Finally the dark hedgehog sighed and glared at his blue counterpart. "Did you come here to speak nonsense or did you actually come with a purpose?"

Sonic feigned being hurt and lightly clutched at his heart. "Ouch, Shadow." he smirked faintly.

Then as if a switch was flipped, his features became very serious.

"We both know why I'm here."

"..."

"We need to talk. And finally that you've got the time to listen, I want this to be settled. YOU actually called ME." Sonic emphasized, his tone solidifying as if trying to talk Shadow out of attempting to take his own life.

Shadow said nothing, but slowly returned his vision to the sparkling city below, contemplating.

"Forget it, Sonic..."

"Shadow..."

"...I'm not going to jump." Shadow finished and shut his eyes.

It could have been a trick of the lights below them or a play of the shadows cloaked around them, but Sonic could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smirk curve Shadow's lips before it dissolved back into a flat line.

"Anyway," Shadow continued, his tone level and calm. "You already know who and what I wanted to talk to you about. So let's talk, Sonic."

To this, the younger male smiled broadly. "It took you long enough!"

"Hmph"

Sonic laughed lightly, then paused suddenly when his voice became assimilated with the vocals of Dragonforce's "Trail of Broken Hearts".

Shadow snorted at the choice in song while Sonic whipped out his cell phone and answered it.

"Yel-low? Oh h-hey, Amy" Sonic meekly stated, giving Shadow a look the darker male deemed pathetic, but amusing coming from Sonic.

"Yeah, I found him. ... ... Nah, you don't have to--"

"PUT ME ON SPEAKERPHONE NOW, I SAID!" Amy's feverish pitch sliced into the air so sharply, Sonic had to hold the phone away from his ear a good distance.

Shadow chuckled lightly and crossed his arms. "Well, Sonic? Doing what the lady demands?"

Sonic nervously broke into cold sweat, but masked it quickly under a thin layer of suaveness.

"Shut up!" he playfully mouthed at Shadow, then returned the phone to his ear.

"Of course, Amy." He cupped a hand over the receiver and whispered to Shadow, "But it's not like we need to hear her on speakerphone."

"How about we don't need to hear her at all..." Shadow smirked, slightly relieved to hear Amy's frustrated growl on the other line.

"I HEARD THAT!!" she screeched, then cleared her throat. " But, Shadow it IS nice to hear you're alright" she explained, exchanging the word 'alive' with 'alright' at the last second.

"Hmph." Shadow frowned. Yet, he was actually content to hear his friend's voice.

Silently, he listened to Sonic and Amy bicker with the other in a one-sided mock argument while his thoughts fluttered elsewhere.

If Knuckles was still at the house, he wouldn't dare step foot in there. And he preferred to not visit Rouge anytime soon.

His choices were few and limited. Yet, he would make the most of it.

--

to be continued

-Mel


	19. Care for You

The Babysitter Affair

Chapter 19

--

The city lights were still garishly lit by the time Rouge arrived home.

The minute she stepped foot inside, she bounded up the steps and made a bee-line for her bedroom.

Lingering thoughts and fresh memories still haunted her of her decisions the past few days but she forced herself to push them away.

Right now, she preferred to focus on herself instead of anyone else; especially another male.

In one swift movement, Rouge tossed her keys and cell phone onto the bedsheets. Briskly, she led her sore legs over to a corner of the room where she kept some of her electronic belongings. Namely, her stereo.

With almost no effort from how familiar she was with the song she wanted to choose, she quickly pressed a few buttons and turned up the volume.

Rouge stood eying the device for a moment, waiting for the song to begin. The moment the slow baseline was heard, a tingle of relief traveled throughout her body and she exhaled heavily.

"Just what I needed." she murmured to herself with a small smile and turned to face her closet.

The same closet she let Shadow sleep in a few days ago.

For a moment, she paused as the fond memories flooded back to her.

"_Mmmm goodnight Shadow…Thanks for listening to me."_

"_You're welcome Rouge."_

She forced the memory out of her mind and reached for her cloth robe.

The soft notes of the song drifted sweetly down the hallway and heightened her spirits just a bit as it floated her into the kitchen.

Draping her robe over her shoulder, she pulled out a glass from the dishwasher and filled it halfway with water.

Her eyes wavered hesitantly; a hint of sadness fleeting past them as her thoughts darted once again to Shadow.

"_Anyway…I still needed to speak with you." _

"_Hmm? Oh yeah that's right. What's going on? Do you need help with something Shadow?"_

"_This time, I want you to help yourself."_

_. "Huh? Help myself? I already pay my own bills…"_

"_No, Rouge, what I mean is, while I'm watching the boys, it would be best if you went out and lived your own life. At least for a couple of days. You've been through enough stress and we both know you need time to relax so, why not do it while you can?"_

"_Shadow are you giving me an invitation to a vacation?"_

The running liquid started to overflow the glass that failed to contain it while Rouge stared into space.

It wasn't until she dropped the glass in the sink that the realization of her bitter remembrance truly hit her.

She had become so upset with Shadow earlier after he left.

Angered that things had to happen and end in such ways between them.

And it was all because of her refusal to admit the truth on her wedding day.

Swearing lightly under her breath, the dejected bat poured out the excess of water and placed the cup on the counter.

Standing on her tip-toes, she reached for a particularly high cabinet that only she was known to ever pay attention to between her husband and herself.

Knuckles mainly stayed out of the kitchen unless he was taking food, or her, on the counter tops.

After a few seconds of searching, Rouge found the object she sought and brought the small box down.

The printed letters read a popular brand name and "Menstruating Medicine" across it. That way, she was positive if Knuckles ever saw it, he wouldn't dare touch it. And for very good reason for what actually lay inside.

Rouge smiled inwardly at the misconception, but it soon melted away into a stern stare as she pulled out a small package of 2 tiny pills.

Plan B.

She always kept a few of them around just in case she randomly decided she didn't want anymore children from her husband after she ceased taking her birth control pills.

'Now look at where it's gotten me. I'm taking precautions about getting pregnant by another man. ' she mused sarcastically to herself and downed one of the pills, taking big gulps of water.

She had actually been off of the birth control pills for a few days now. The most recent time she took the last pill, it was the day before she found that band and Knuckles' dreads...

Finishing, Rouge placed the glass and the sink and carried the small box with her out of the kitchen.

Tossing her robe atop the toilet, she put the box on the sink and prepped the tub.

A hot bath would help her relax, in addition to other things.

The soft melody of another slow song wavered down the hall and into her ears.

As the water poured freely into the deep porcelain, Rouge found herself singing.

"' Hey, sexy baby. There's no need to worry. Oh boy if you call on me, I'll come. I'll come. In a hurry '..... 'I love you, yes I do...' ...." she trailed off.

Why was she singing that song? She had sang it before, when Shadow agreed to come home with her and the boys to talk that night.

The words flowed eagerly from her lips then, just as they had now.

She needed him. But she couldn't go running back to him now.

Standing to her feet, she kicked off her boots and pulled her t-shirt over her head.

The breezy mist of the water tickled her exposed skin as it crept over her.

A low sigh brushed by her lips as she shut her eyes and allowed every burden to be whisked away.

Her lithe fingertips traveled upto the strap of her swimwear and gingerly pulled it down over her shoulder, then slowly lifted it back up over the soft flesh.

Two sultry syllables of a name dropped from her lips as she pulled the strap down off her shoulder and led it down her arm while the steam of the water caressed the exposed skin.

Gently.

Almost skillfully.

Just like him; his delicate touches.

"Shadow..." she murmured, pulling down the opposite strap.

Everything seemed so real. Every sweet delectable delusion. She could feel his fingertips tracing over her skin; his mouth dappling wet kisses along her chest while helping her peel the moistened fabric away from her begging body.

Undressing her.

Loving her.

Rouge shuddered.

Despite her bitterness towards him, she still wanted him, still needed him in her life. She wanted to look into his dusky carmine eyes and be swept into his arms for hours.

A big part of her yearned, almost ached for his affection. The same affection he showed her he still had after all the years that had been wedged between them.

But his kisses, his love, his passion--they were never hers to have.

Not since her wedding day.

That day... one decision caused her world to crumble beneath her feet.

Her own choices led to the unhappiness in her marriage now.

She was the one to blame. The only one to blame.

Nude, Rouge kicked the small pile of her clothes to the side and stared at the building water with dazed eyes.

Her tender flesh still tingled with the sweet sting of Shadow's allure and affection from earlier that morning and the night before. As well as from the new fresh images she had conjured about him.

But as wonderful as their time spent together had been, she had to end it.

As much as she loved Shadow, she couldn't turn her back on her family; the ones that needed her the most.

The ones she needed the most.

Or did she?

What did she really need?

Rouge placed a hand to her head and coughed. She didn't want to battle with herself now.

And to make matters worse, she probably had caught a cold from being at the lagoon this time of year.

But she'd deal with that later. Right now, it was her time to unwind.

Slowly, she closed her eyes and spread her fingers over her stomach. Gently, she led one hand upwards while the other slid down past her hips.

Yes, she needed her own time to do as she pleased.

Shadow's presence littered her thoughts and heightened her desires as she caressed herself as he had done; lovingly, slowly, and deeply.

She guiltily needed to feel him, to consume his scent and swoon in his arms.

To be his was perfection.

Everything was perfect.

That is, until her phone rang.

Embarrassed by her motions, quickly she threw on her robe and dashed down the hall.

In a flurry of white and fluttering fuchsia, Rouge dove for the bed.

"Hello??" she asked breathlessly and froze when she heard the deep chuckle on the end.

"Hey babe." Knuckles greeted warmly. The hint of a broad smile was clear in his voice.

"Oh, it's you." she murmured, then mentally kicked herself. Of course it was Knuckles! She had cut off all ties with Shadow, so who else would be calling her?! That didn't mean she couldn't fantasize about him, though.

"I... I didn't expect you to call so soon, Knuckles."

"What, did I call at a bad time? You sound disappointed."

"Just tired." she partially lied, not missing a beat. To emphasize her words, Rouge laid down on the bed on her belly and stretched.

A soft sound of consideration wavered on Knuckles' end. "Sorry, babe. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Mm how nice of you."

"And to let you know that uh... I'll be staying with Sonic and Amy for a bit while you're away."

'Sonic and Amy?' she silently wondered.

The thought passed her mind of more going on than was told to her, but she let it slide.

Knuckles was being awfully kind to her tonight.

"Yeah, I figured I'd give you a bit more space." he continued, his words littered with bits of partial lies. He did want to give her the space she had requested, but he more so wanted to stay closer to Amy. Not out of sensual interest, but out of acceptance.

Besides the kids loved her.

"Alright"

"Alright?! Well that's a response I never expected to hear from you!"

Rouge snickered a little. And for a brief moment, she felt like an adolescent school girl tying up the phone line talking to a boy she liked. "What response?"

"Satisfaction."

This time, Rouge did laugh. "Oh, don't you dare take that tone with me, Knuckles! I'm still angry at you."

He sighed. "Still? Woman, would you stop being at mad at me for something I told you I didn't do??! Hey, I even did what you wanted! I respected your wishes and gave you some space. And I even added in some nice little words you may have liked. I'm doing my best here!"

"Try harder. I'm still not convinced."

"..."

"But your efforts are somewhat appreciated, Knuckles."

Honestly, Rouge wasn't sure why she was toying with him. Even though she cut her ties with Shadow to become loyal to her husband again, Knuckles was also the last person she wanted to talk to right now.

"Are you home?"

"Hmm? Yes. How did you know?"

"I can hear that music in the background. Hey! I even bought you that cd, remember?!"

She chuckled to herself. " Yes, I remember."

"Yeah, you really loved that song. What was it, 'Talk for Two?' 'Sexy Baby'?"

" 'I Care 4 U' " she corrected.

A gentle silence settled between them. Then Knuckles chuckled. "Mm, mind if I come over for a bit, babe?"

'Yes, I mind!' she cried inwardly and bit her lip. "Sorry, not tonight. H-hey! Didn't I say I was tired?"

"Never stopped you before. Remember that one steamy night we..."

"I'm on my cycle." she fibbed quickly.

She felt a whoosh of relief rush throughout her body from the disgusted sound from her husband. "Oh... Kind of early, isn't it?"

"What are you, my gynecologist?! I said no!"

"Okay okay! Damn! Well, I'd be willing to experiment. We could just place some towels down..."

"NO! That's disgusting, Knuckles! I'm going to hang up on you if you don't stop!"

"Alright alright! I'll stop! Damn, you're giving me hell, Rouge! I just wanted to lay next to you at least. It's been a while for me."

With a huff, she sat up and crossed her legs. "There's that tone in your voice again, Knuckles." she scolded placidly. " Is sex all you think about?"

"With you, about 90% of the time. What's wrong with that?"

"I'm not a rug-rat factory and I would not want to spend the majority of my life popping out your babies!" She had meant to just say 'popping out babies', but the 'your' just happened to fall in.

"Hey..."

"Is that all you see me as?!"

"HEY! I was joking! What has gotten into you?!"

'Shadow' she thought with a dejected sigh.

"You're lashing out at me more than usual!"

"Sorry." she apologized.

"I guess you just missed your favorite verbal punching bag. You haven't said anything nice to me in years!"

"Knuckles, I'm not in the mood."

"You never are. But you know what, this is still your 'vacation', so I'm not going to 'ruin' it for you. Or whatever. Sorry things got so out of hand. Then again, maybe its just your period talking."

Rouge said nothing but swallowed hard. Yeah, her period. She wished she was on it now.

"Anyway, goodnight, Rouge. Hold on, let me put the boys on."

There was a ruffling of movement on the other line and faint toddler inquires over who was on the phone.

Rouge couldn't help but smile gently at the sounds of her sons' tiny voices and grinned widely when one of them spoke into the receiver.

"Hewwo? Mommy?" Akai asked rather loudly.

"Hi sweetie."

"Daddy says we have to be nice and say g'night. G'night. K bye."

"That wasn't vewy nice, Akai!" Amethyst's small voice called to his brother.

"So what? Daddy's here so I can do whatever I want! I said g'night."

"Mommy's gonna get you, Akai!" Amethyst continued, then placed his attention towards his mother. "Hi mommy!! We're havin' fun! How are you?"

"Fine, honey..." she muttered, still disturbed by Akai's behavior. He was too much like his father.

"Dat's good. Auntie Amy and Mistuh Idiot are real nice!"

She giggled. " ' Mister Idiot' ?"

"Yeah! Dat's his name!" Amethyst continued jubilantly. She could hear Knuckles laughing in agreement in the background. "I wish you were here too, mommy"

"Oh, thank you honey. Mommy wishes you all were here with her. But she needs some rest. So, good night, Amethyst. Sweet dreams!"

"I will!" he chirped happily, then made a childish sound. Rouge supposed he was signaling his brother over to the phone again.

"Night mommy! Love you!" Amethyst cheered.

"Love you. Bye." Akai redundantly responded.

"Love you too, boys." Rouge smiled faintly.

Once the boys were done, the phone was given back to Knuckles.

"I love you, Rouge." her husband stated solidly. "I'll talk to you some other time."

She paused. The right words thrived on the tip of her tongue but refused to be spoken.

"Thank you, Knuckles, for calling me. Goodnight." And with that, she hung up and tossed the phone to the side.

The truth may had been spoken, but the correct words were not.

She had already lied to him enough. He didn't need to be crushed.

Rouge's thoughts drifted and she drooped her head.

Irony crossed her mind.

For days, she had been accusing him of seeing another woman behind her back and committing adultery when in speculation of that, while she actually did it.

She had crossed the very line that she scolded him of crossing.

Her shoulders flinched as a low chuckle fluttered in her throat. A low sarcastic chuckle.

Then it grew to an empty dry laugh.

It was amazing what so many years of living with someone could change a person.

Tears stabbed at the backs of her eyes and she threw her hands against her face.

And cried.

Just what had she become?

Knuckles deserved better. He actually had been doing his best for her.

He deserved another chance.

At the very least, he deserved her to live upto the commitment she had vowed to while wearing its embodiment on her finger.

She had cheated on her husband. There was no other way around it.

And with that guilt weighing down upon her shoulders, Rouge stood to her feet and headed slowly towards the bathroom.

She would give Knuckles his chance.

But only after she ceased loving another man.

--

Rouge didn't love him.

That was the very first reality that popped into Knuckles' mind as he lowered the phone to his side.

But he managed to calm himself down and think otherwise.

"She just needs her time." he reassured himself in a mumble. "Just give her a few more days alone to herself and she'll come around."

"What'd you say, daddy?" Akai asked intently, looking up from the game he was playing.

Amethyst was sitting up on Sonic's bed while attempting to read an instruction manual in his own way: making up whatever story that went along with the pictures or the shapes the blocks of text made.

Knuckles looked at the two of them in their contrasting differences and smiled. "Ah nuthin'. Your dad's just being a worry-wart, but he'll be fine!" Knuckles grinned, flexing a bicep.

And of course, Akai mimicked the same. "Grrr that's right! My daddy's the stwongest! Nothing bothers him!!"

"Grrr..." Knuckles mocked his son, smirking faintly as his mind drifted. But he forced himself to focus his attention on his sons and his features instantly brightened. "Watch out, Akai! That bot is coming for you!" he warned playfully, pointing towards the game screen.

The smallish echidna cried out as his character, Sonic, got rammed into by a rhino robot and lost all his rings.

"Oh no!!" Akai squealed and leaned close to the screen with his mouth open, quickly gathering as many lost rings as he could. "Oh no oh no!!"

Knuckles laughed while Amethyst only shook his head and turned the book's page. "Dat's what you get."

"Be quiet, Amafist!"

Knuckles laughed again, then trailed off as his thoughts tapered elsewhere.

'I wonder where Amy and Sonic went to?'

"You boys be good, alright? I'm going to go look for your auntie and Mr Idiot. Don't tear up the room while I'm downstairs, got it?"

"Okay daaaaaddyyyy!" the twins replied happily in unison.

"Good." Knuckles nodded, but knew better than to trust a 2 year old's promised obedience, and headed out the room.

Once they head his heavy footsteps near the bottom of the stairs, they quickly tossed the items they held in their hands to the side and began to have a hyper fit jumping up and down on Sonic's bed; kicking and throwing the covers around.

Downstairs, Knuckles didn't bother calling out to his friends. He could hear the light voice of Amy coming from behind the house's back door.

As he neared closer to the door through the kitchen, he could make out bits and pieces of the girl's concerned words.

"Sonic you know that.... and.... Shadow, shut up, will you?!! .... No I won't apologize! .... .... What?! .... .... I said.... .... It's bad enough you two are still there! Sonic, hurry back."

"Yelling at Sonic already?" Knuckles quipped, standing directly behind her. "You sound like a happy girlfriend already..."

Alarmed, the girl inhaled sharply and nearly dropped the phone she was so startled.

With wide searching eyes, she whirled around. "KNUCKLES!!!!!????!!!" she almost screamed, causing the echidna to take a step back.

"WHOA!! Hey, Amy, I was kidding about the yelling! What are you DOING out here?"

"None of your business!!" she snapped back, then blushed wildly as she fumbled for an apology. "Uh um s-sorry Knuckles."

Half-expecting the retort, Knuckles sighed and glanced up into the sky.

"Is there a full moon tonight, or something?"

"Huh? No, it's a week too early for a full moon!"

Seamlessly, his eyes returned to hers. "Could have fooled me. Tonight seems to be perfect for b!tching. And I just happen to be the perfect target.

The faint sound of dark laughter could be heard from Amy's cell and she and Knuckles both darted their eyes to it.

It was Shadow, but Amy was sure Knuckles didn't know that. Nervously, she played along. "Ha...haha, Sonic, that was a good one."

"But it wasn't me--?" the blue hedgehog's voice spoke up, but was completely cut off by Amy.

"I KNOW THAT! SHUT UP!"

Slightly amused, Knuckles quirked a brow and took a step closer.

"So Sonic's not here. Where did he go?"

Instead of answering the older male right away, Amy cupped a hand over the receiver and whispered rapidly into it before closing the call and slipping the phone into her pocket.

Knuckles eyed her keenly as she put on an extremely saccharine smile and folded her hands cutely behind her back. "I have no idea! That's what I was so upset with him about!" she fibbed.

Knuckles nodded slowly. "O...kay." Then he remembered something. "I heard you mention Shadow. What, Is he following Sonic around now?" he half-joked, referring to a previous comment he had made about the dark hedgehog supposedly following him around.

"Something like that..." she scowled, then shook her head. "Nevermind. I'll just deal with them when I see them."

"Them? Don't tell me..."

She blinked. "Don't tell you what??"

"Sonic isn't thinking of leaving you for Shadow, is he, Amy?"

She blanched. "Wh-what?!"

"I'm serious! At least that would explain why you're so on edge more than usual."

"MORE THAN USUAL?!!"

He shrugged. "Like that."

Exhaling deeply, Amy gazed up at Knuckles with large and confused eyes. "No, Sonic is not hooking up with Shadow behind my back!!"

"Ohh? Are you sure? I thought Shadow was a little..." he trailed off, raising a mitt and then letting it flop downwards.

Amy's face flushed red. "SHADOW IS NOT GAY, YOU MORON!"

Chuckling slightly, Knuckles shoved his hands into his pockets and raised a brow at her. "Hmmm, I wonder about that..."

"Well, stop wondering!" she demanded, slapping him on the arm "And why are you so serious all of a sudden?"

"I got off the phone with Rouge..." he admitted candidly, looking off to the side.

"Oh." Amy made a face, but offered to listen to her friend anyway. "What did she say this time?"

"...A lot of things. She still thinks I'm cheating." he trailed off, his eyes floating over to the angered girl before him.

Amy's hands clenched into fists. "That...b!tch!" she swore, but more so for her own ears to hear. How dare that scandalous bat blame Knuckles for something she did without a second thought?! It was because of her not keeping her legs closed that got them all into this nonsense!

She would never forgive Rouge for what she had done. Never.

"You should leave her, Knuckles. She's no good for you. How many times have I told you that?!"

"I know..." he responded meekly, only agreeing to the latter of what she scolded him for. "I let all that go but it was what she didn't say that bothered me. The boys told her they loved her and she said it to them easily. But when I said it...I wanted her to know that I meant it. But she didn't say it back."

Vexed, Amy crossed her arms. "Well, what did you expect, Knuckles? I'm not saying that woman isn't capable of caring, but she certainly doesn't act like she's got a lot of love to give."

Knuckles said nothing for a good while and simply took in the words she said.

He considered them. Yet, he still believed someday, with the right persuasion, Rouge would change for the better. Not just for himself and their marriage, not just for the kids, but for herself as well.

"I'm still giving her time." he claimed finally. "I know if I keep coaxing her bit by bit, she'll come to her senses. As much as it pisses me off, I just can't give up now."

"I admire your determination Knuckles and you're worth it. But I just don't think that she is."

"I know where you stand, Amy. You don't always have to remind me."

"I just-- I just don't like her, Knuckles! I don't trust her."

"I know. And chances are you never will. But I'm the one that's married to her." he sighed heavily, "And I've got a vow to hold on to. I'm not quitting yet!"

"That's the warrior's way, isn't it?" she whispered, keeping the philosophy close to her own heart.

With a smirk, he nodded. "Damn straight it is."

Hearing this, a tiny smile touched Amy's lips and she stepped towards Knuckles.

Neither of them exchanged any words as she slipped her slender arms around his waist. His arms instinctively spread across her back and pulled her closer.

Silently, they hugged and Knuckles nearly clung to her for dear life. Not just because physical reassurance was something he desperately needed, but because he was understood.

She acknowledged and accepted the hope his words carried even though they both knew hope was a delicate and imaginary thing.

"Why couldn't she say it..." he mumbled, holding back a threatening wave of tears. "Why, Amy?"

"Just don't give up, Knuckles. Just hang in there." she comforted "One day, I'm sure you'll get all the answers."

"You swear?" he quired, attempting to smile.

"Damn straight!" she giggled.

The both of them shared a comfortable laugh, enjoying the other's company.

Separating, the two of them slipped into an easy and relaxing conversation and embraced in another hug as the soft winds of the darkening night gingerly caressed them.

And in the distance, green eyes glimmered as they beheld the two.

--

Weeks passed.

Amy had quickly generated enough funds to put the down-payment on her own apartment, while Knuckles and Sonic were mutually elated for her success.

She and her boyfriend talked about who would stay where. She hadn't gotten a definite answer right away, but she wished with all her heart that Sonic would decide to live with her in her new place.

Sonic had gotten a bit closer to Amy, much to her pleasure, and found himself feeling more eager and relaxed in her presence. He liked being with her quite a bit. But he still hadn't brought himself to say the 3 words she wanted to hear nor attempted to sensually please her like she wanted. He was thankful that Amy had decided to just give him some time.

Knuckles, throughout the passing days, was finally met with an agreement from Rouge to come and see her and happily did so. And to both of their surprise, Knuckles ebbed his urges to have sex with his wife and simply cared for her.

They even went out a few times. Slowly, Rouge found herself forgetting about her mistake with Shadow and began to fall in love with her husband for the first time.

Knuckles had noticed her coughing a bit, but deemed that overall, she was alright He was more concerned with the positive turn their relationship was taking and couldn't wait to re-propose to her. After a few days spent with her, he returned to Sonic's place to keep his promise to Amy to stay for a whole month. All was well for him.

Shadow had nearly become a ghost, hardly talking with anyone and staying away from both Rouge's house and Sonic's.

But, through some miraculous act of kindness towards him that he honestly didn't deserve, Amy allowed Shadow to stay in her new apartment until she moved out of Sonic's house.

Whenever Knuckles and the boys were out someplace or asleep, either Amy or Sonic would bring Shadow something to eat. But most of the times, he wasn't there...

Rouge was still sick. The flu. Every now and then she would get chills and need to rest.

Almost a full month had gone by and she had pushed the lingering remnants of Shadow out of her mind and her life.

Happily, Rouge hummed a distant tune to herself while vacuuming the hall carpet.

Her head pounded and her body felt drained, but she needed to pull herself away from the bed. Sick or not, she had to stay active somehow.

Her life was making a turn for the better. Finally.

As the minutes joyously were sang away, Rouge bent down to unplug the vacuum and froze.

A thick wave of dizziness and nausea swept over her and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Feed a cold, starve a fever the doctors would say and she had been doing just that. She hadn't eaten in a few days now, but was sure to drink plenty of fluids.

But now it felt like those fluids were coming back up to say hello.

Slowly, Rouge forced herself to her feet and wobbled into the kitchen for a glass of water when her legs gave way beneath her.

Shaking, she lay in a sprawled heap on the tiled floor.

'What's happening to me?' she thought frantically, her eyes fleeting, 'I feel like I'm going to die... I need to call someone....'

Shakily, a hand lifted off the floor and snaked its way down to her slacks pocket.

Her mind was a haze of jumbled thoughts and feverish desires as she pulled out her cell phone and brought it upto her face.

She was too exhausted to speak. She would have to send a text message.

Her mouth slightly opened in a silent cry as she punched in the number of the first person that came to her mind.

The phone clattered against the cold floor and spun in weak circles on his side as her hand limply dropped against the hard tiles.

--

Knuckles sat on the couch in Sonic's living room dutifully watching the boys when the buzz from his phone made him squirm.

Briskly, he reached into his back pocket and looked at the display screen.

A text message?

His body warmed up excitedly as his heart fluttered in his chest in anticipation. Did Rouge send him a message? It was such a rare occasion.

Eagerly, Knuckles opened the message, his eyes bright.

But the contents of the text turned his eyes dark and his chipper mood vanished.

"Pay your bill today and save 2% off the initial price!" It read.

With an annoyed grunt, Knuckles shut the device and tossed it on the couch. "Damn bill collectors."

"Awwww daddy said a bad worrrrd!" Amethyst brought up.

"Aww be quiet, Amafist!"

--

In the darkened rooms of Amy's new apartment, a single being stirred as it sulked into the kitchen.

Sluggishly, a gloved hand went to open the refrigerator door. Carmine eyes didn't dare flinch as the stark light flashed out and cut along the floor like a knife.

Seconds were absorbed through time as Shadow blankly stared at the limited contents within the fridge, mainly eying a carton of milk.

Without much passion, he pulled the carton off of the shelf, opened its top fold and drank straight from the carton.

Suddenly, the dull buzz of his cell went off.

Several times.

He ignored it and continued to drink.

It had to have been Sonic or Amy that was trying to contact him and he refused to bother with them right now.

He wasn't feeling too cheery.

When he finished with the carton, he threw it away and reached for another and drank from it as well.

Then spat it out.

His eyes narrowed as they skimmed over the expiration date. The milk was 3 months past its sell by date.

Cursing, he lowered the carton to his side and fumbled with finding his phone.

Amy should have known the milk was sour. In fact, he was sure she left it in there on purpose to make sure she finally gave him the warning to stop drinking from the cartons.

With a frown, he held out his cell and squinted at the message indicator.

"Hmph. That must be her now." he grumbled and rolled his phone open.

But his eyes widened immediately when he realized it was from Rouge's number.

Seconds later, the expired carton dropped from his hand and he teleported out of the room.

He neglected the mess he had made on Amy's new floor; he disregarded the fact he left the refrigerator door open.

The only thing on his mind was Rouge and the cryptic message she had sent.

"_Help me, Sh"_

_--_

_"_I Care 4 U" is by Alliyah_  
_


	20. Already Known

The Babysitter Affair

Chapter 20

--

Countless murmurs and insignificant chatter surrounded Shadow's being as he sat impatiently in the hospital waiting room.

He had only been in this accursed place for barely a half an hour and already he had grown intolerant of the atmosphere.

Earlier when he arrived with Rouge in his arms, he was told to wait in that same room along with the other patients.

And from a simple observation, it could easily be noticed that not all of those waiting to be seen were in the best of composure.

One woman shook violently while hugging herself tightly as if such an action would control her body's spontaneous behavior, while a young child lay in his mother's lap barely breathing or moving.

It was painfully apparent to Shadow that most of the staff in this place didn't care much for the ones that needed their help.

And since he wasn't sure what was wrong with Rouge, he forced his way through, demanding that she have a room and a doctor see her right away.

Once she was taken care of, he did the same for the other patients that looked as if they would kill over at any given time.

Some of the humans thanked him, while others exchanged bias murmurs of his temporary alliance with Black Doom and shunned his existence.

If this had been any other situation, Shadow would have dealt with them in a direct manner or just disdainfully walked away.

But Rouge was hurting.

He didn't have time to give a care about anyone else.

But now, his restlessness had gotten the better of him.

Desperate to keep his mind calmed, he reached for his phone and rolled it open.

--

The afternoon air was thick, but breezy.

It was the perfect day to go for a walk or a picnic.

Sonic and Amy pleasantly conversed amongst themselves while they headed back to Sonic's place.

"So, Sonic..." the petite hedgehog spoke up leisurely to her significant other, "Have you finally decided what your answer will be?"

Sonic faltered in his next step as he coughed. During their walk, she had asked him at least 3 times already the same question.

The same question he, each time, avoided.

Clearing his throat, he looked over at Amy.

She remained focused on the road ahead of them, appearing wistful.

As if she could feel his gaze, she turned to face him. Bold emerald seemed to glimmer intensely with anticipation and another emotion Sonic was too busy blushing to decipher.

He wasn't necessarily blushing because of her, but more so towards his inability to answer her question and the embarrassment it caused.

What was so wrong with him that he could barely answer this girl?

"Well???" she continued, thoughtfully.

The playful tone in her voice made Sonic break into a sweat. He had better come up with something fast!

"W-well...Amy I uh..."

Knowing where this conversation was probably heading, Amy paused in her steps and turned to face him.

Her stern glare alone was enough to pin him in place.

Yet, he tried to play it coolly.

"What is it, Amy?"

She slightly shook her head as she observed him. "Don't you dare try playing dumb with me, Sonic."

"Who? Me?"

"... ..." she sighed. She had all the love in the world for this hedgehog, but she did not have the patience to be beating around the bush with him now.

"Sonic..." she began, softening her tone a bit, "Please, I just wanted to know your answer. Did you want to move in with me in my new place or did you want me to stay living with you?"

He shrugged and adverted his eyes from her in embarrassment. "I don't know, Amy. I wanted you to get your own place, sure, but I don't want to just leave my house behind, you know? I've grown pretty attached to that house! Holes, bugs and all!"

Amy knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but her expression didn't waver. She wasn't in the most jubilant of spirits at the moment.

"Well, you had better make up your mind soon because I just got that apartment. I'm not getting rid of it now." she pressed. Then her eyes drifted outwards towards the distant horizon beyond them. "...Even though I've let Shadow stay there for a while. He's almost been there more than I have!" she frowned cutely.

Sonic took note of this, unaware of the small smile that started to spread across his lips.

"Relax Amy. I'm sure Shadow won't take over your apartment while you're away. But, we're both doing what we can for him, aren't we?"

She crossed her arms haughtily and stuck her nose into the air. "And he had better appreciate it! That licentious little sneak! I should have left him to rot out here without any food OR water! I mean, it's bad enough that he drinks milk RIGHT out of the cartons! But to go behind Knuckles' back and sleep with his wife?!

"Uggh. That bat is just like the expired milk I left in the fridge on purpose; knowing Shadow just couldn't resist to have some! Maybe one day he'll spit her out like he probably did that spoiled milk!" she huffed and started to stomp away.

Astonished, all Sonic did was stare at her in awe.

He knew that Amy liked Rouge as much as a slug loved salt, but if he didn't know any better, he could have thought he heard a twinge of jealousy in her voice.

Amy? Jealous of Rouge?

Nah. Why would she be jealous of a sexy voluptuous woman like Rouge? Sonic knew for a fact that Amy wasn't interested in going out with Shadow, so that didn't make any sense to him.

Perhaps he was just hearing things.

"Hey, wait up Amy!" Sonic called and started to zip over to her when his phone rang.

Recognizing the melody, Amy snorted playfully at the familiar jingle, reminding herself just how much Sonic was full of himself.

While the tune "Escape from the City" carried, Sonic had to blink twice from the number he saw calling him.

Without a second thought, he flipped his phone open and urgently answered. "Shadow? Is that you?!"

–

"Of course it's me, who else would it be from this number?!" the dark hedgehog snapped into the receiver, eliciting a yelp from Sonic.

He whistled. "I was just surprised to hear from you! Getting a phone call from you is expected as much as Knuckles not getting duped so easily. It just doesn't happen!"

Hearing the echidna's name ignited an acidic flicker within Shadow and a low growl settled in his throat.

"Sonic!" Amy's scolding voice was heard, "Don't be stupid! You know Shadow can't stand hearing Knuckles' name!"

"Oh, that's right! Whoops! Sorry Shadow!"

"Look..." Shadow began, his tone humbling a bit in light of his current situation, "I don't have time for this, Sonic."

The odd change didn't go unnoticed and Sonic picked up on this right away.

Instead of teasing, Sonic became suddenly serious.

"What happened, Shadow?" he asked softly.

"It's Rouge... Something...something is wrong with her."

A small gasp was heard on Sonic's end. "Wh-what's wrong?" Sonic questioned vaguely.

Shadow guessed Sonic didn't want to let Amy know that Rouge was involved. At least, that was the only reason Shadow could think of that could justify the other hedgehog's feebleness right now.

So instead of retorting with a nasty remark, Shadow answered truthfully.

"I don't know. The doctors have seen her for nearly half an hour now. How much longer do these things take?" he asked, the aggravation clear in his voice.

"Too long... but keep me posted, alright?"

"Yeah..." he agreed lowly. It was obvious he was in a rare passive mood and had no intentions of arguing with the hedgehog now.

"Shadow, if you need anything, just call me or Amy as soon as possible, you got that?"

Shadow didn't respond.

"Shadow?"

Taking a deep breath, the obsidian hedgehog forced himself to relax. "I'll call you back later. Bye."

"Huh? Wait waiit!" Sonic called, but his nasally outbursts were abruptly cut off with the sound of a click.

Sighing, Shadow lowered the phone in his hand and gazed emotionlessly at its brightly lit numbers.

A faint curve played about his lips, then quickly vanished.

He'd never want to admit it aloud, but he appreciated his friends' concern for him.

He was grateful he even had anyone to carry the title of 'friend' towards him.

Quietly, he put his phone away and stood to his feet.

Perhaps a good pace out in the hallway would help ease his worries.

As he started to move, the sudden squeak of one of the doors within the waiting room shot into his ears.

Warily, he turned and his eyes doubled in size from the sight of Rouge standing before him.

Her eyes appeared distant and glazed while her hands tautly grasped a tissue that seemed like it would be torn to pieces at any moment.

Instinctively, he made his way up to her and draped a protective arm around her shoulders.

"Are you alright? What happened in there, Rouge?" His mouth formed words before he even realized what he was saying.

But he wasn't able to say much more as a quivering hand reached up and pressed hesitantly against his chest.

A look of pain flickered in Rouge's eyes as they lazily met with his.

The doctor had told her quite a few things that were 'wrong' with her; one she already knew of, while the other wasn't as expected.

She was inflicted with the flu.

Yes, she knew this.

But the other matter, she had taken precautions to avoid.

And yet...

"I..." she trailed off, as the hot sting of tears pricked at the backs of her eyes. Yet she remained strong and didn't dare make those tears prominent.

After allowing a cough to pass, Rouge slightly moved out of Shadow's embrace and looked him square in the eyes.

"I'm pregnant, Shadow."

–

Yeaaaah, it was pretty obvious to see coming.

Sorry about the gap in updating. Had a block for this story, which was also obvious to notice. lol

At least it should be coming to an end soon. The story, I mean .

-Mel


	21. Broken Miracle?

The Babysitter Affair

Chapter 21

–

The news hit Shadow hard. Its impact was enough to delay his breathing for a good few seconds. Rouge... was _pregnant_? Had he truly heard her correctly? While his mind teemed with a multitude of stifling thoughts, not a piece of them managed to shape his lips. Thoroughly thunderstruck, Shadow glared harshly into nothingness, "... … … …."

Still a bit unnerved by the news herself, Rouge's discomfort towards his behavior made itself evident in her equivocal body language. Her hands were curled into fists and remained close to her abdomen as if having her arms at her sides now would inch her closer to Shadow than she preferred to be at the moment. Was he glowering at her? No. He had never, nor would he ever have, given her an expression with such cruel eyes. Of course, hearing that she was with child was a serious matter and she expected him to take it as such. But, the way he was acting immensely bothered her; and she did not like it.

"Shadow...?" Rouge wondered, her voice shaken and weak, "Did...did you hear what I..."

"I heard you..." he snapped back, his words brusquely slicing through her concern. His curtness wasn't directed towards her, but instead the situation. He didn't understand. There wasn't any way he would have been able to get her pregnant in his mind. Absolutely none. He would not have allowed it otherwise if he _were_ able to aid in conceiving. At least, he wouldn't have while she was still married to that foolish echidna of hers, anyway.

Because Shadow was made an artificial being, he had never known what it was like to physically grow. He had been an empty shell until Gerald, technically his own father, made a deal with the alien Black Doom for literally Shadow's own blood. Shadow had believed that, due to the nature of his past, since he was crafted by human hands out of much of nothing, there could be no possible way he would ever have a family after his own image. He felt that he'd never be able to experience anything paternal in all his immortal life. Had he been able to, he would not have been so careless around Rouge and would have taken proper safety precautions with her.

The woman was far too precious to him. In all honesty, he would be greatly honored to have her be the mother of his children. Still, the circumstance at hand required deeper thought and comprehending. There was no feasible chance that Rouge's embryo was his. But...if by some miracle it were... Silently, his eyes dragged themselves back to hers. His expression faltered as every form of concern, love and overwhelming sadness broke over his visage. He appeared as if he would fall apart into a teary heap any moment and, without thinking, Rouge reached out to brace him by the shoulders, "Shadow?" A shock of fear fizzled through her and her entire frame trembled.

Seeing his resolve practically shatter right before her eyes chilled every nerve within her body. Before she realized it, she was sinking down to the carpeted floor of the waiting room as he was. His name was repeated a few more times, and it wasn't until Shadow shut his eyes did she understand that his problem was not with her. If he wasn't upset with her, why was he behaving this way? Had there been something he hadn't told her?

Around them, nearby patients in their chairs had objectively moved away, while one considerate soul actually got up to inform the receptionist of the odd event. One of the nurses emerged from behind the desk and soon approached the ivory bat. The woman had overheard the news the doctor had given Rouge minutes earlier and she called out to her in a chipper voice, "Congratulations Mrs Bat! I heard you were expecting!"

Even for one with such large and sensitive ears, Rouge had been so focused on Shadow that she entirely ignored the new sound. One ear, however, had flickered in the direction of the human tones, but nothing that was spoken had gotten through until the nurse mentioned the following: "And how wonderful! I see your husband is very alarmed by the news!" As if Rouge were listening the entire time, she turned her head swiftly to address the attendant, "Ah...no...you see, he isn't my..." She coughed.

"Let's get out of here..." Shadow ordered in a whisper so hushed, Rouge almost mistook it for a hiss. As she returned her attention to him, she barely had time to acknowledge what he was doing before specks of light crackled around them both and a flash of white engulfed her sights.

–

It's been a while...^^;

I'll probably keep the same "feel" in the way this will be written, similar to how it was previously. Some areas may become more descriptively done than others, but I'll just have to see.

Oh, and to those that sent me nasty messages about not updating this year (2013), I made changes to chapters 1-3 and mentioned it last year in 2012. Hateful messages do not encourage me to work on this faster. I lost a lot of interest in the sonic universe for years, apparently, but Shadouge is still one of my all-time favorite otps. Be thankful I'm continuing at all.

Peace.

-Mel


End file.
